THE SUPERNATURAL IN INDIA.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 169, 18 July 1903, Page 5 (Supplement)

THE SUPERNATURAL IN INDIA.

EXTRAORDINARY TIGER-HUNTED STORY.

It was my good fortune in the month of April some 15 years ago, to meet with an individual who undoubtedly possessed a certain po'vo;' over the wild beasts in his vicinit\ and who did .not scruple to vise i( j to his own profit. I had organised a small shooting party into Nepaul in that year. We did not expect much sport in that land of swamp and forest ; we anticipated a week's tour in a new country with a little shooting to cn--U-VS&J&e. marches ; and, crossing the border, we" enca»P?d near a village about eight miles in "Kepfcttk" My orderlies ( says S. Eardley Wit" mot in Temple Bar ) visited the village and returned with the usual news that the villagers knew of no tigers in the vicinity. They added, however, that they had discovered an old man who made his living by selling charms to protect tho cattle against any tiger they might chance | to meet in the pasture ground. ! The two statements did not agree, but I knew that the villagers would give no information as to the where j abouts of a tiger as, in the first place, they believed that the tiger would learn of their treachery, and: make ■matters extremely disagreeable in the future ; while, secondly, they did not desire any strangers to camp near their village. The charm vendor readily appeared when sent for, and proved to be a 4 wizened emaciated feeble old person, who made no promises save that ho would join the hunt.on the morrow, and asked for nothing but a. goat and a bottle of rum to sacrifice to his deities.'.Both these delicacies were supplied 1 am unaware how he disposed of .thorn, but. next morning his bleary eyes and shaking hand were evidences of a night passed in vigils, either festive or prayprful. He first begged to be placed on the largest elephant, as he remarked that tigers would specially resent his appearance as an enemy and next drawing from his girdle a small copper bell, he suspended it tingling from finger to thumb, muttering at the same time some unintelligible sentences ; then; after apparently receiving whispered instructions, he silently led the way through the forest followed by the sportsmen, whose feelings varied between shamefaccdness and contempt. I must explain that at this season of the year the forest has already been devastated by jungle fires, and only here and there art; patches of unburned grass left either, by accident or on account of tho dampness of tho locality. As a male tiger sl.xr.ds some 84ft. high and weighs about 6001b. 1 was both astonished and angiy when 'the snake-elm rinrr st.ow;'*(i a I I In- edge of a small patch of gruss which might have concealed a. l>>£ or deer, but certainly would not in my opinion, afford suitable cover for a tiger. When 1 represented this to the old man ha merely replied, " The tigw is there;" and we, traversing tho grass, passed out on tho other side, j without discovering the tiger. i We again appealed to our leader to cease his fooling and tako us to a . more suitable spot, but were met with the same stolid reply. There was nothing to be done but to try again, and this time we discovered an immense tiger lying crouched between two elephants. He arose on being discovered, and walked slowly in front of the howdah to the edgu of the patch of grass, there turning in a dazed way he regarded us, -md fell at once with a bullet behind his shoulder. The extraordinary behaviour of the tigor impressed me more as a sports man than the proceedings of the old man ; but we acknowledged that the proceeding was in every way un- j canny. It was yet early in the day, and, ' the bell again sounding, we were led in a bee line to another tiger, which suffered itself to be slaughtered in a similar manner. In five days we bagged six tigers, and only desisted because the old man explained that if we killed all the tigers his trade in charms would be ruined.