SEELY—SILLY ASS

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 252, 24 October 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

SEELY—SILLY ASS

.'(By Leo Jackson, 146, Synjonds Street,

City; age 15.)

A bright sun shone over the small native village in Central Africa revealing a small bunch of huts cuddled together, arid a few standing .farther apart. In the latter dwelt a white man and I*vo boys, one, of 18 years, theson of the man, Colonel Hutchinson, and the other, an undersized lad of 17,' and the cousin of Colonel Hutchinson's son. This boy, Seely by name, had an aunty back in England and' he had promised her faithfully that before tho trip had aspired he would send her a tiger skin. .

Just at the moment this same youth 1 was lying on his bed and heartily cursing all the circumstances that had befallen them in their; attempt io shoot and kill the man-eating tiger that Jbad killed and eaten seven mail carriers in the past three weeks, and had' stricken terror into the natjyes.

Time after time they had tied doge and kids to a tree and waited hours in a neighbouring tree to get the tiger, but without success. The last time they tried, which was near the spot where the last postman had been killed, they waited for nine hours up a tree, and what with short provisions and a drizzly rain soaking them to the skin, Seely had plenty of reasons to be glum.

As it became lighter Colonel Hutchinson arose, and having cooked breakfast for himself a-nd.his son he strapped a cartridge bait on and went to -awake Seely. During this timeSeely had been thinking hard, and ;when the Colonel entered the room of the hut that Seely was occupying he found .the boy still in bed.

"Seely!" he exclaimed, "not out of bed j yet?. My word, hoy,; you "will never make a tiger hunter!" ■ i Turning a pale cheek up to the Colond, j Seely pulled a wry face, '1 don't feel well, and I don't want to be a tiger I hunter," he answered. ' v "But, Seely " ; _ "Yes, T know you thought I was eager j to send a skin home to my aunt, but the j novelty has worn off now and I don't , want to go hunting over-grown cats any, more!" j The Colonel left the hut disgusted and returned ,to Jack and tcld him the circumstances. "I always thought he was scared," answered Jack with a sneer, "and now he is using yesterday's* trip as an excuse to stop home to-day." Taking a rifle from the rack and ad-, justing his topee, the Colonel led the' way to a chosen spot near a little stream, the banks of which were covered with: rushes. Before long ; they ■ were squat-; ting on a platform of branches in a low tree, while a little distance away in ai 6mall clearing was a kid tied to a stake and. bleating wildly. ;

They had been there about an hour when the Colonel nudged Ms son, "What's that?" and straining their ears they heard' a faint jingling of the bells that are usually tied to a postman's stave to frighten away beasts (not that they were much good as the tiger had already shown thorn). Before long a small under-sized nativa eaine in .sight trotting along the small beaten track, and carrying the customary stave ajjd pouch, .while-his gaze' shifted hero and there and if he was expecting sonictMng.

"Poor chap," whispered Jack, 'Tie seems almost scared to death, and a good reason to be that way, too!"

Nearer and nearer the native came and above the forest silence broken only by the jingling bells there came a sudden roar and from the rushes bounded a huge tiger, the man-eater himself, his worn teeth seeming to glisten in the sun-

light. "i\ T ow!" whispered the Colonel, and taking careful sight they were about to lire when a sudden crash of a heavy rifle-caused them to pause.And io llieir amazement they- saw the tiger lurch to one side, flop with a thud and lie still. With dumbfounded surprise the. two,.'in the tree looked at the native who was Btand'ing with a heavy smoking rifle and timidly eyeing the dead fteast. They both descended and the Colonel strode up to inquire of the unusual circumstances when he let out a cry and running forward looked hard' into the native's face.

"See!' 5 he exclaimed, "hey Jack, it'* Seely." The Colonel was flabbergasted.

Seely turned his face towards thean, "Now, let me explain, please." He then told them of the plan he had thought out that morning. "You see," he said, "I saw it was no use using goats or dogs to lure the tiger, so I waited until you had gone, because I know you would not let me try my idea, and then I smothered my body with cocoa and," looking down .at his attire, which consisted of a mere strip of cloth wound round his loins, "I borrowed this clothing from, the priest in tho village. They belonged to the last- mail carrier and well, here I am." He paused and turning to eye the brute that lay near hirn, "Although I don't like the skin of him," he muttered, gazing at the patchy and moth eaten, scraggy-haired brute. "I don't think it's even worth sending home."

Jack, who had been silent all the time, suddenly burst into fits of laughter at the whole thing and rolled on the ground' roaring. "Seely, you silly ass."