420 



w 



RECREATION. 



started, with my native shikari and a 

 strong gang of beaters, bent on the 

 destruction of this tiger. For some 

 weeks he had paid frequent visits to 

 the neighboring herds of cattle, now 

 here, now there, until the loss he 

 caused had become a serious matter. 



My beaters were supplied with 

 drums, horns, and in fact anything 

 that would make a noise, and, besides 

 being thoroughly posted as to the 

 habits of the game, they knew every 

 inch of the jungle. 



The evening before I started, the 

 tiger had killed a full grown ox and 

 dragged it some distance into a thick 

 clump of tamarind trees and young 

 bamboos. There we expected to find 

 him, but he evidently had been dis- 

 turbed in his meal; for we found the 

 remains of the ox with only one hind 

 quarter devoured. After looking for 

 an hour for recent signs of the tiger, 

 we came to a small stream which ran 

 through a perfectly open and level for- 

 est. There my shikari, whose keen 

 eyes nothing escaped, struck the trail 

 at once. The bed of the stream was 

 about 10 feet below the level, and al- 

 most dry. The tiger had gone loafing 

 along, leaving tracks which were not 

 an hour old. We followed the marks 

 for about half a mile and while ascend- 

 ing the sides of a small ravine, I heard 

 a slight noise like the crackling of a 

 dry leaf. Pausing and turning, I saw 

 distinctly a movement or waving in 

 the grass, as if something was making 

 its way to a dense thicket some 75 

 yards to the right. I felt sure, as did 

 my shikari, that this was the animal 

 we were after; and, sure enough, when 

 we fired a shot, there was a roar and 

 the tiger made a dash for the thicket. 

 My beaters immediately surrounded it 

 and commenced to yell, blow horns 

 and beat drums, making the most hor- 



rible din imaginable. A number of 

 the men threw large stones which fell 

 on all sides of the beast and proved 

 effective in starting him from cover. 

 Out he came with a rush and a roar 

 which could be heard a mile. He 

 looked as big as an ox, but was an 

 arrant coward at heart, and before I 

 could get a shot, slunk back and dis- 

 appeared in the grass, from which he 

 refused to budge for some time. 



Finally one of the stones must have 

 struck him, for he sallied forth growl- 

 ing horribly and giving me a fine view 

 of his open mouth, garnished with 

 most serviceable looking teeth. I 

 fired quickly and had the satisfac- 

 tion of seeing him drop; but in an in- 

 stant he was on his feet again. A shot 

 from my second barrel caught him be- 

 hind the ear and he sank to the 

 ground. I might now have bombard- 

 ed him in perfect safety; but, thinking 

 him dead, and to avoid spoiling his 

 skin, I refrained from shooting. On 

 our stepping to within 20 feet of him 

 he managed to raise his head and 

 growl savagely, his eyes gleaming 

 with the frenzy of his intense though 

 futile rage. Those who have not seen 

 the fierce light that scintillates from 

 the eyes of a wounded tiger, or any 

 other of the large Felidae, can hardly 

 imagine its wondrous brilliancy and 

 concentration. The animal had not 

 strength to raise himself from the 

 ground, and indeed could do nothing 

 more than lift his head and growl. 

 Not wishing to prolong his misery, I 

 shot him through the brain. 



He was a splendid specimen, meas- 

 uring 9 feet 3 inches, with a coat in 

 good condition. His long, perfect 

 teeth showed he was in the prime of 

 life, but the pads of his feet were worn 

 quite smooth as if he had lately done 

 considerable traveling. 



Mr. Borem — I am opposed to intoxicat- 

 ing liquors as a beverage, yet I believe 

 liquor rightly used is a benefit to humanity. 

 I am fully convinced that whiskey was once 

 the means of saving my life. 



Miss Cutting— Perhaps it did, but I fail 

 to see how that proves it a benefit to hu- 

 manity. — Chicago Record. 



