﻿276 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  One 
  woman, 
  about 
  25 
  years 
  old, 
  was 
  

   lying 
  about 
  100 
  yards 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  hut, 
  

   whither 
  she 
  had 
  been 
  dragged 
  by 
  the 
  

   brute, 
  her 
  face 
  literally 
  bitten 
  out 
  and 
  

   her 
  neck 
  severed. 
  The 
  second 
  woman 
  

   was 
  lying 
  in 
  the 
  hut, 
  a 
  formless, 
  gory 
  

   mass, 
  and 
  the 
  third 
  lay 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  

   hut, 
  alive 
  but 
  with 
  a 
  ghastly 
  face 
  wound, 
  

   her 
  whole 
  left 
  cheek 
  having 
  been 
  bitten 
  

   out, 
  exposing 
  both 
  jaws. 
  

  

  The 
  little 
  girl 
  had 
  disappeared. 
  All 
  we 
  

   found 
  was 
  a 
  trail 
  of 
  blood 
  which 
  led 
  into 
  

   the 
  forest. 
  

  

  I 
  had 
  a 
  litter 
  of 
  bamboo 
  constructed, 
  

   on 
  which 
  the 
  injured 
  woman 
  was 
  taken 
  

   to 
  the 
  village, 
  where 
  I 
  dressed 
  her 
  

   wounds. 
  

  

  BAITING 
  A 
  TIGER 
  TRAP 
  WITH 
  A 
  HUMAN 
  

   VICTIM 
  

  

  But 
  what 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  about 
  the 
  

   tiger 
  ? 
  We 
  had 
  no 
  arms 
  save 
  a 
  Colt 
  auto- 
  

   matic, 
  so 
  we 
  decided 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  trap. 
  I 
  

   shall 
  never 
  forget 
  how 
  the 
  poor 
  husbands 
  

   of 
  the 
  slain 
  women 
  worked 
  on 
  that 
  trap. 
  

   One 
  had 
  lost 
  all 
  his 
  family 
  — 
  his 
  wife, 
  

   sister, 
  and 
  little 
  daughter. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  village 
  worked 
  all 
  afternoon 
  

   constructing 
  the 
  trap, 
  into 
  which 
  was 
  

   placed 
  for 
  bait 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  woman 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  field. 
  She 
  was 
  separated 
  

   from 
  the 
  main 
  trap 
  by 
  strong 
  bamboo 
  

   stakes 
  and 
  her 
  hands 
  were 
  tied 
  with 
  a 
  

   string 
  which 
  was 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  drop- 
  

   door 
  of 
  the 
  entrance 
  (see 
  illustrations, 
  

   page 
  272). 
  

  

  For 
  safety 
  the 
  village 
  priest 
  invited 
  me 
  

   to 
  spend 
  the 
  night 
  in 
  the 
  little 
  wooden 
  

   temple 
  at 
  the 
  feet 
  of 
  Buddha. 
  To 
  sleep 
  

   was 
  unthinkable. 
  It 
  began 
  to 
  rain, 
  the 
  

   thunder 
  rolled, 
  and 
  weird 
  lightning 
  effects 
  

   added 
  height 
  to 
  the 
  somber 
  monarchs 
  of 
  

   the 
  forest. 
  Crash 
  followed 
  crash 
  and 
  — 
  

   what 
  ! 
  listen 
  ! 
  — 
  the 
  trampling 
  and 
  trum- 
  

   peting 
  of 
  elephants, 
  wild 
  cries 
  and 
  shouts 
  

   of 
  confusion 
  ! 
  

  

  I 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  till 
  next 
  morning 
  what 
  

   had 
  happened. 
  A 
  herd 
  of 
  wild 
  elephants 
  

   ventured 
  to 
  the 
  outskirts 
  of 
  this 
  doomed 
  

   village 
  and 
  made 
  short 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  flimsy 
  

   houses 
  and 
  rice 
  barns. 
  Like 
  a 
  cyclone, 
  

   they 
  swept 
  over 
  the 
  place 
  and, 
  not 
  satis- 
  

   fied 
  with 
  destroying 
  the 
  huts, 
  devoured 
  

   the 
  recently 
  harvested 
  rice. 
  The 
  morn- 
  

  

  ing 
  found 
  the 
  sky 
  still 
  weeding 
  over 
  all 
  

   this 
  tragedy. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  tiger 
  had 
  been 
  caught, 
  and 
  I 
  

   was 
  informed 
  that 
  the 
  men 
  were 
  sitting 
  

   around 
  the 
  trap 
  waiting 
  for 
  me. 
  I 
  hur- 
  

   ried 
  to 
  the 
  scene, 
  following 
  the 
  tiger's 
  

   still 
  visible 
  imprints 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  before 
  on 
  

   the 
  sandy 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  stream. 
  The 
  cap- 
  

   tured 
  creature's 
  rage 
  was 
  terrible 
  to 
  be- 
  

   hold. 
  Only 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  and 
  the 
  brute 
  

   was 
  no 
  more, 
  for 
  20 
  spears 
  ended 
  its 
  sav- 
  

   age 
  existence. 
  

  

  On 
  opening 
  the 
  trap 
  we 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  

   animal 
  had 
  severed 
  the 
  bamboo 
  separat- 
  

   ing 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  its 
  victim 
  and 
  

   devoured 
  the 
  latter 
  — 
  hair, 
  head, 
  and 
  all 
  — 
  

   save 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  her 
  back. 
  We 
  

   gathered 
  the 
  few 
  remains 
  and 
  buried 
  

   them 
  in 
  the 
  rice 
  field. 
  The 
  natives 
  car- 
  

   ried 
  the 
  tiger 
  on 
  two 
  bamboo 
  poles 
  to 
  the 
  

   village 
  (see 
  page 
  273). 
  

  

  I 
  left 
  Kyokta 
  that 
  afternoon, 
  in 
  spite 
  

   of 
  rain 
  and 
  the 
  advanced 
  hour 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  

   The 
  forest 
  looked 
  still 
  more 
  somber 
  and 
  

   weird 
  ; 
  the 
  trip 
  back 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  pleasant 
  

   one, 
  for 
  we 
  had 
  with 
  us 
  the 
  injured 
  

   woman, 
  whom 
  we 
  were 
  taking 
  to 
  Maw- 
  

   laik, 
  where 
  she 
  died 
  the 
  day 
  after 
  our 
  

   arrival. 
  

  

  The 
  dearly 
  bought 
  Chaulmoogra 
  seeds 
  

   were 
  shipped 
  from 
  Mawlaik 
  to 
  America, 
  

   where 
  they 
  are 
  now 
  growing 
  and 
  ready 
  

   to 
  be 
  transplanted. 
  

  

  THE 
  DEMAND 
  IS 
  EAR 
  GREATER 
  THAN 
  THE 
  

   PRESENT-DAY 
  SUPPLY 
  

  

  In 
  conclusion, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  

   ethyl 
  esters 
  manufactured 
  in 
  Hawaii 
  are 
  

   unfortunately 
  only 
  sufficient 
  for 
  treat- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  lepers 
  in 
  Hawaii. 
  In 
  fact, 
  there 
  

   are 
  several 
  hundred 
  patients 
  in 
  Hawaii 
  

   still 
  untreated. 
  No 
  help 
  from 
  Hawaii 
  

   can 
  be 
  promised 
  to 
  lepers 
  residing 
  outside 
  

   of 
  that 
  territory 
  and 
  no 
  medicaments 
  can 
  

   be 
  secured 
  from 
  the 
  territory 
  at 
  present. 
  

  

  These 
  leprosy 
  specifics 
  are 
  now 
  manu- 
  

   factured 
  by 
  several 
  firms, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  quan- 
  

   tities 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  supply 
  the 
  world. 
  

   This 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  accomplished 
  by 
  growing 
  

   the 
  trees 
  as 
  a 
  plantation 
  crop. 
  

  

  Hawaii 
  has 
  taken 
  the 
  lead 
  in 
  the 
  estab- 
  

   lishment 
  of 
  a 
  Chaulmoogra 
  plantation, 
  

   but 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  

   at 
  least 
  eight 
  years 
  before 
  these 
  trees 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  fruit. 
  

  

  