﻿HUNTING 
  THE 
  CHAULMOOGRA 
  TREE 
  

  

  273 
  

  

  TILE 
  END 
  OE 
  A 
  WOMAN 
  EATER 
  (SEE 
  TEXT, 
  PAGE 
  276) 
  

   The 
  beast 
  which 
  had 
  wrought 
  such 
  destruction 
  was 
  borne 
  to 
  the 
  village 
  square 
  to 
  be 
  skinned. 
  

  

  ously, 
  we 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  large 
  tiger 
  had 
  fol- 
  

   lowed 
  us 
  into 
  the 
  jungle, 
  for 
  there 
  were 
  

   its 
  footprints 
  so 
  clear 
  and 
  distinct 
  that 
  I 
  

   stopped 
  and 
  photographed 
  them 
  (see 
  page 
  

   271). 
  We 
  had 
  no 
  arms 
  with 
  us; 
  only 
  a 
  

   camera 
  and 
  quantities 
  of 
  Chaulmoogra 
  

   seeds. 
  

  

  We 
  reached 
  the 
  village 
  safely, 
  and 
  I 
  

   immediately 
  began 
  to 
  pack 
  my 
  seeds 
  in 
  

   powdered 
  charcoal 
  and 
  oil 
  paper 
  to 
  pre- 
  

   vent 
  the 
  moisture 
  from 
  escaping; 
  for 
  

   when 
  allowed 
  to 
  dry 
  out 
  they 
  lose 
  their 
  

   germinating 
  power 
  within 
  a 
  short. 
  time. 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  planned 
  to 
  begin 
  the 
  return 
  jour- 
  

   ney 
  to 
  Mawlaik 
  with 
  my 
  precious 
  burden 
  

   the 
  next 
  day 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  had 
  reckoned 
  without 
  

   the 
  tiger. 
  Two 
  of 
  my 
  coolies 
  had 
  a 
  small 
  

   rice 
  field 
  only 
  a 
  quarter 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  distant, 
  

   in 
  the 
  jungle, 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  hut 
  in 
  which 
  

   their 
  children 
  and 
  womenfolk 
  slept 
  and 
  

   guarded 
  their 
  harvested 
  grain. 
  Instead 
  

   of 
  returning 
  that 
  evening 
  to 
  their 
  hut, 
  

   they 
  remained 
  in 
  the 
  village, 
  leaving 
  their 
  

   womenfolk 
  alone 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  

  

  THE 
  TIGER 
  TAKES 
  TOLL 
  OE 
  THE 
  PEASANTS 
  

  

  At 
  6 
  o'clock 
  the 
  next 
  morning, 
  as 
  I 
  was 
  

   about 
  to 
  start 
  and 
  the 
  coolies 
  were 
  ready 
  

   to 
  take 
  their 
  burdens, 
  the 
  tajee 
  (head- 
  

  

  man) 
  came 
  to 
  me 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  sad 
  face 
  

   and 
  still 
  sadder 
  story, 
  saying 
  that 
  a 
  boy 
  

   five 
  years 
  old 
  had 
  come 
  from 
  the 
  outlying 
  

   paddy-field, 
  reporting 
  that 
  his 
  mother 
  had 
  

   been 
  killed 
  by 
  a 
  tiger. 
  The 
  poor 
  young- 
  

   ster 
  was 
  himself 
  badly 
  injured, 
  showing 
  

   the 
  scars 
  of 
  five 
  claws 
  on 
  his 
  back 
  and 
  

   his 
  left 
  lower 
  limb 
  badly 
  burned 
  from 
  a 
  

   campfire 
  into 
  which 
  the 
  tiger 
  had 
  hurled 
  

   him. 
  

  

  Great 
  excitement 
  ran 
  through 
  the 
  vil- 
  

   lage. 
  The 
  temple 
  drums 
  were 
  beaten 
  

   and 
  the 
  gongs 
  sounded 
  an 
  alarm. 
  All 
  the 
  

   male 
  villagers 
  armed 
  themselves 
  with 
  

   spears 
  and 
  knives 
  and, 
  marching 
  ahead 
  of 
  

   them, 
  I 
  went 
  to 
  the 
  scene 
  of 
  a 
  tragedy. 
  

  

  A 
  dreadful 
  spectacle 
  awaited 
  me. 
  Into 
  

   this 
  lonesome 
  place, 
  wrested 
  from 
  the 
  

   jungle, 
  the 
  tiger 
  came 
  at 
  dawn 
  to 
  do 
  its 
  

   work 
  of 
  destruction. 
  We 
  found 
  that, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  cold 
  night, 
  the 
  women, 
  liv- 
  

   ing 
  with 
  two 
  children, 
  had 
  constructed 
  a 
  

   hut 
  of 
  paddy 
  or 
  rice 
  straw 
  directly 
  on 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  with 
  only 
  one 
  small 
  opening. 
  

   In 
  this 
  hut 
  were 
  three 
  women, 
  a 
  two- 
  

   year-old 
  girl, 
  and 
  the 
  five-year-old 
  boy. 
  

   When 
  the 
  tiger 
  had 
  entered 
  the 
  hut, 
  there 
  

   was 
  no 
  escape. 
  Short 
  work 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  

   the 
  helpless 
  victims. 
  

  

  