BOOKS OF THE DAY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2729, 25 March 1916, Page 9

BOOKS OF THE DAY

"TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER." 'An interesting book on Indian sport snd natural history comes from Messrs. G. Bell and Sons, per Whitcombe and Tombs. The title is "Tiger Slayer by Order," the author being Mr. Cecil E. Gouldsbury, who has compiled tho book from notes and stories furnished'by Mr. Digby Davies, late a Deputy-Inspector-General of Indian Mr. Davies, .who first went, to India some thirty, ' y®&rs_ ago, held, in addition to his position in the police/the unique office of Tiger-Slayer to the , Government of Bombay,; but although several' 'chapters are specially devoted to tiger stories, the author recounts his experiences with many other kinds of animals, his book being simply, packed with records of curious and dangerous experiences in the Indian jungles and forests. The police district of which Mr. Davies had charge was that inhabited by that curious race, the Bhils, whom the Government had gradually weaned from t!heir natural sa.vagery by the wise policy of free grants of land, seed, and cattle, by which they were induced to settle down, as peaceful cultivators. The Khandesh district had in the past • al.,ways;had.a- specially evil reputation as stronghold for wild beasts, ..especially tigers, and the appointment of Official Tiger-Slayer was made as far back as 1857. When Mr. Davies took over the office his Tiger-Slaying Corps'consisted 6f four shikaris, or professional' hunters, 1 forty natives, arid had "two Governmentowned elephants always at ite : disposal.' 'As a general rule, says the author,', tigers, unless confirmed man-eaters, will not attack a human being without some provocation, though' those which eventually take to ■ man-eating frequently attack their victims boldly,- first creeping up to them with' a rapid, stealthy movement. > These pests of the jungle, now happily rare are, lie 6ays, usually old' tigers, and invariably ex-cattle lifters, ,wlio, having frequented . the neighbourhood of villages; and become accustomed to the presence of men, begin by carrying off some wretched, unsuspecting" wood-cutter or cow-herd, and, having thus discovered that killing . human.beings is easier work than cattle or game, take to man-eating as a source of.'subsistence. Mr, Davies -combats the' popular idea that man-eaters are invariably mangy or' lean. On the' contrary,, they are, he, says/-generally in prime condition, with bright and glossy coats, excellent as .trophies. : : The average age of a tiger is about ■twenty years.- The taste for blood is incujcate'd into . the young cubs by the tigers, who,, says Mr. Davies, aire most assiduous in teaching: them to' kill. When very:ydiirig the mother"will feed the- cubs on .-gobbets of ' . half-digested flesh," which . she disgorges on her return from'hunting.... In killing cattle or game,,' the tiger, invariably fixes ' its claws "or-...teeth' into 'the flesh to ' obtain the .necessary purchase") and then seizing :rth"e.-throat in its jaw- from underneath, gives the fatal wrench, which dislocates ' the neck, bearing down its victim by- sheer weight.'- Human beings. are invariably seizodl hy the head or neck. 'In eating its . prey, the tiger, curiously.enough, always commences at the hindquarters. The exact spot where the ; first mouthful will be taken can be told with certainty, and after'and during _the meal, the tiger drinks largely. Mr,".jDavies' describes the attack of a tiger .as .".terrific, as .may-be..imagined from an animal, of s.uch vast muscular proportions", (the average length being 9ft% 6in., and the .weight between. 400 and S(W pounds),- "one of,the most powerful elements .in the. attack being, the_ strange coughing roar with; which it is always acconipanied, -a sound . so. intense in volume* and ferocity as to he; almost the . coolest," and once heard can never be forgotten of' . mistaken for any orthen sound." ,Wounds from'a tiger's teeth or'claws are very~ often fatal, ' blood 1 poisoning setting in,; beside the shook to the system, which Vis-necessarily very great.' The natives consider.the;fat of a. tiger as_:• an. invaluable' cure;'for ' rheumatism,*: milk taken from; a. tigress vbeihg, ; ., also, used for the same purpose. In .addition to his narratives of tiger hunting 1 and slaying,-the author recounts his experiences with elephants, buffalo, leopards, and 'many other beasts, his chapters., containing 'many extraordinary stories of his adventures in the jungle, ,hairdhreadth' ; escapes from death, and descriptions of -ouriou's native .customs and superstitions,, etc. •He also gives an interesting'account ,of a hunting expedition in 'Somalilaud. The; book' contains some curious, snake stories,. one .of which refers to ; one of the few authenticated, cases 'of ;.a cure heirig effected by the sn-ake stone, "a small blue-green , stone of; si - somewhatspongy appearance." In this!particular instance the stone was tlie property of a travelling fakir or religious mendicant. "Wetting it with' his spittle," sayS the_ author, "he rubbed it on the wounds, at the same time making passes and uttering certain incantations. _He repeated this performance three times,-and then informed^the'patient, who -certainly seemed better/that he would be quite all right and free from- all effects of the poison, which indeed proved to be the case. Tlie au-. thor puts forward the theory that the value of these snake stones lies in the fact of their being porous and strongly absorbent, and tliU6, when placed against <i snake-fang punoture, they gen-. erally draw off tho poison. Ho also says that be has heard that the fakirs and others who make a practice of using these stones as snake-bite curcrs,' surreptitiously soak them in milk, after each operation, to purge them of tlie poison they have absorbed, so as to he fit for use again. Tho natives, of- course, believe that the stones possess_ a mysteriously miraculous power which' can only be brought into operation by the passes and incantations in which the fakirs indulge when using vthom. Tlie book contains a large number of interesting illustrations of various' wild heasts, native village scenes, and so forth. (Price, 12s. 6d.) 1

"JOFFRE CHAPS." Under the title of "Joffre Chaps" (John Lano), M. Pierre Mille, the 60called "French Kipling," -whose "Under tho Tricolour" and othor sketches of life in the French Army have been bo popular, now gives us a round dozen or «o of short, vigorouslv-told stories, most of which deal with the war. Some, of them remind me riot a little of Alphonso Daudet and . Guy de Maupassant's stories of tho war. of 1870. But M. Mille has his own methods, and has little of Daudet's sentimentality, sometimes just a little fiimicky, and still less of Do Maupassant's almost cynical air of personal detachment from tho scenes and characters of his sketches. The change in treatment is perhaps due to the years that havo passed sinco that which the French so rightly termed "the terrible year." There is a fine sense of comradeship and personal sympathy with the soldiers in such of the stories as deal with the poilus, and even in those in which "les sales boches" are prominent, ono recognises that the ■ author can see that war has its tragic^

and pathetic side for the enemy, just as for his own countrymen. There is a humorous touch in the -sketch of "Boudra the Quarryniaiv," ;a French l Territorial, -who, albeit past the military age, is called lip by a;-mistake. A sione-cutter (tailleur) by trade, he'takes his hammer and saw- witli him to. the front, 'thinking he wis required on account, of his trade. "Do you shrink a pair of trousers with a saw? we'asked •for cutters—aren't you a cutter?" said the officer, vastly'astonished at tho saw and hammer. Boudru, however, did not seek profit'by the error in his official description as a tailleur." Ho remained on with tho regiment, and the story shows to what excellent use the brave old quarryman put his trade "skill in the trenches. Of the stories in which tlie "bodies" figuro most prominently, I like best "His Own .People," which deals with the execution by a German lieutenant of a dirty, drunken Pomeranian soldier, who had raided a French farmhouse. "See," said the Prussian lieutenant, who held' his naked sword in hand, "not pillage alone, not pi 11,120 without orders!- Pillage alone! Get shot!" Upon which he placed the top of his sword in a tiny drawer, -which unfortunately happened to be locked, opened it, and took possession of several valuable . souvenirs!— while yet the ; still warm body of the unfortunate Pomeranian private '.'..was', lying' in the courtyard. M. Mille's stories .are translated by Madamo Drillien, who is laudably successful lit preserving the spirit and idioms of the original. , (Price Is. 6d.)