A TERRIBLE FIX.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 4193, 24 November 1883, Page 7 (Supplement)

A TERRIBLE FIX.

It is now about six years since I formed one of a party of four, all of us being old hands (it the game. We made our camping ground rather near to the coast. When we had got everything settled and made proper, it was about four o'clock in the day, and we had not shot a tiling. Well, we did not like tho idea of eating our supper on tho hunting ground without game, so we determined that two of us should go out and see if we could not get something. I volunteered as one of tho caterers, and I took with me a Madras fellow I had picked up in Calcutta a few weeks before. I took a shot gun in my hand, and he carried my double-bar-relled rifle. I had not been away from camp more than half an hour when I had brought down several fine plump birds of different kinds. After going on for a little distance I came across what I detected at once as a tiger-path. As soon as I made this discovery I told my man to return to the camp with the spoil, and to tell the others I would return by the time tho repast was ready. I took from him my rifie and half a dozen rounds of ball cartridge. When I had lost sight of him I at once proceeled to follow up the trail in hopes that I might find the lair of my whiskered friend, and that I might perhaps be fortunate enough to get a shot at him. So intent, was lin tho pursuit in which I was engaged that I had not noticed tho quickness with which King Sol was making his way to the west. There is no twilight in India, or rather very little. At last the jungle becoming denser and obscuring tho oblique rays of the setting sun, I looked at my watch, when I found instead of having been out an hour I had been over two. As soon as I became aware of this I at once took bearings of the spot and started post-haste back iti the direction of the camp. Whether it was my haste or tho dark shadows which tho fast-departing sun cast, I can't say, but before I had gone very far I knew from various signs I had lost my way. I was too old an Indian to attempt to recover tho path I had lost. I knew my only chanco of getting back to our camp lay in finding my way to tho shore and following up the coast line. I, therefore, by tho aid of my pocket-compass, started in tho direction of tho sea, but what with tho dense mass of rank luxuviancj and tho swampy ground, I was compelled to mako many detours, so I had not covered half the distance which I had calculated lay between mo and the beach when 1 found myself onvolopcd in tho vast folds of tho cloak of darkness. You may imagine my sensations on finding myself alone in the jungle, and night fairly set in. I am not naturally a coward, but I must certainly own to a very peculiar feeling as I groped my way, every now and then stopping to stlike a light ([ fortunately had matches) in order that I might consult my faithful little compass. Tho stillness of (ho atmosphere was as oppressive as tho darkness, and tho silence was fearful, only broken now and then by those davils in tho nlinpo of iiminn] H , tho jackals, or by tho crying Bcronm of tho nyrena. So far tho sounds had boon far enough away, but I knew that 1 was in a regular hotbed of dovilry—l did not know tho miuuto I might fed mysolf in tho clutchot) of ono of tho many beasts of prey that frequent thtjso " pastures green." However, I kept j>lodding on, and folt Hiiro 1 could not now have much further to go boforo I got clear out of the jungle. What.! Could it bo possible ! Yes, gontlomen, I found myself sinking, and, in spite of stronuous oxortions, in less timo tlian it takes mo to toll you, I found mysolf waist-deop in a kind of bog. I found also that tho more I tried to freo myself tho deeper I sank. What was Itodo ? lam sorry to say n soldier's life does not generally lead to Godliness, but if ovor a prayer went up to tho Almighty, ono went up that night. After tho first foelings of despair had worn off I began to recover my calmness. I remombored I had n. largo brandy-flask hung over my shoulder. 1 had forgotten to loavo it behind at tho camp. I took a good pull at this, and then began moro particularly to examine into my circumstances. I found, mnch to my joy, that I did not sink any deeper, therefore concluded the bog had a firm bottom. I also found that my rille was dry, but tho cartridges J had dropped loosely into my pocket wero ruined and unserviceable. I know that if attacked by any beast of prey I must loly on tho ammunition contained in my ritle. Fortunately, both barrels wore loaded with ball, I had mado these discoveries, and was endeavouring to forco my way through tho thick, heavy mud, and slime in which I was imbedded, in a direction which, by tho nature of the surface, gave me hopes of loading to firing round, when my ellbrts wero arrested by a horrible ronr, which appeared to shako tho very ground itself by its power. I turned as well as I was able in tho direction from which tho sound appeared to proceed, but could see nothing. Anothor roar, which seemed to bo louder than tho first, then another, and another in quick succession, and I ]>erceived straight in front of mo two livid balls of fire, which appeared to make the surrounding darkness more thick. I now certainly gave myself up for lost. I know too well whence those sounds which had so abruptly broken tho stillness of the night proceeded. I was in a, terriblo fix, fastened in n bog unablo to move a foot, and a tiger's oyes a few yards in front of mo tho only visible object. I hayo read somewhero that calmness is often tho offspring of despair, and that as some people's trouble mcroases so does their fortitude. Whether lam ono of theso persqns I know not; but this Ido know, that when I felt sure of my death, as I did now, I never once lost my presence of mind. As soon as I clearly mado out the two sparkling orbs, I took steady aim right betweon the,m, and thinking a prayer, I fired. Anotli* horriblo yell and growl, and tho beast's eyes still glaring at mo in nearly tho same position. Again I fire; this timo thero was no other sound than tho report, but when tho smoke cleared, there were tho eyes with their deadly glare fixed upon me. I gave myself >up for lost, and turned slightly away. But no. I folt no venomous claw,s enter my flesh, I felt no hot broath, no hungry fangs were lending me limb from limb. I continued in this horriblo suspense for, I daro say, five minutes. Heaven only knows what agonies of suffering I. went through in that short space ! I then ventured to look again, when, horror of horrors! there wero the samo pair of eyes, seeming to eat into my very soul with their horriblo ghastly glare. The cold beads of perspiration rolled down mo. What oould it mean ? I cried out aloud, I shouted, I screamed, I laughed, but still those eyes shed forth their horribly baleful light. I tried to shut my own, but the terrible fascination I was labouring under compelled me to open them again. There they wore, still glaring right into my face.

Now belonging to them I see a grinning, hideous face. In my frenzy I scream, I swear, I pray; but still the steady glare of those frightful Qptics seems to burn into my brain. In the distance I now see hundreds of pairs of eyes advancing upon me. I shout aloud with all my energy for them to come on, to do their worst. I eeem

to be joining a, diabolical dance, with tho owner of those eyes for a partner. I feel myself whirled round, untl round, and round into eternal space. Then all is quiet. I remember no more until I wake up one lovely morning anil rind myself lying on a mattress in a native hut, with several familiar faces round me. I had just recovered from a six weeks' attack of brain fever.

It seems when my servant got back to camp he delivered my message! My companions knew I could be trusted to take care of myself, and so did not trouble themselves about me till darkness set in. They then began to fear some mishap. One of them remembered we had put some old sailcloth and a small keg of tar into the bottom of the boat to patch up our tent in case of bad weather. They at once set out for the boat, and with the means at hand extemporised torches, which answered their purpose very well. After searching for a considerable time with no result, they were about giving it up as useless until morning, when they were startled by hearing strange shouts and noises issuing from what appeared to them a thick patch of jungle grass; but when they had penetrated a few yards in the direction of the sounds, they found an open space. Thinking this peculiar, they advanced very carefully, and found they were on the borders of a small morass. They could still hear the shouts, though growing thicker and feebler every minute.

By catching hold of each other's hands, and utilising the hard clumps with which tho place was plentifully besprinkled, they managed to reach me, and draw mo out jnst as I was sinking into a boggy grave. Not above six yards from where they found me, they found the immense body of a maneater (a tiger who lias once lusted human flesh cares for no other, and goes by this name ; lie is the most vicious of hie species). Ho was almost entirely buried in bog, but liis head was quite uncovered, and lay motionless on the treacherous surface. Thoy found two bullets had entered the skull botween the eyes. It appeared the tiger had sniffed me from a distance, and had come rushing forward to the spot where I was hold a prisoner. In his eagerness his usual prudoncehad forsaken him, and he had leapt right into the slime and mud, and was hold as close a prisoner as myself. My first shot must havo killed him, but his head lying at the top in tho manner it did, had made his eyes plainly visible nftcr death. Tho other eyes I hud soon were tho torehen of my frionda, which my frenzied fancy multiplied into hundreds. The remainder was tho commoncemont of my fever. '