FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14214, 10 November 1909, Page 9

FOR THE CHILDREN.

> ' THE-MISPLACED TIGER. AN ADVENTURE IN SINGAPORE. The little coasting . steamer that rune • between Singapore and Pahang arrived .'in. .- harbour one day with a magnificent .specimen of the Pahang tiger, roaring himself ' hoarse < arid lashing - ' his ' tail inside a small but stout native-made, cage on the after-deck. The Chinese supercargo had picked it up cheap at the northern port. Its brown-skinned captors i could not afford to feed it;" *so it "was a fierce and hungry beast of prey. "Just -the sort of tiger to bay on spec.," said the supercargo, and he bought, it. ; HAWKING < THE t TREASURE. ' When he arrived at Singapore he set about hawking ' his treasure. As luck would have; it, a -wealthy ■• Chinese mer-, • " chant heard of . the Pahang tiger, and, with the curious ambition of, his race, he bought the : brute at the supercargo's own figure. : ' He , took ;it home, i cage and all, in a cart. Then ho ''got a chair and filled his pipe, "" and sat . down' with - true v Chinese ■. ; '■■ ■ ■". -abstraction to enjoy ; himself and listen to'the roaring. Noise ;is not considered ;. a nuisance; by the Oriental. ■; ! ■ii Presently the music of the great brute's -' hunger ; song lulled the /merchant to sleepfast asleep. His head , lolled for-. ward on his breast, and he snored at * • the cage of the tiger. This was the last straw in the load of indignity that weighted the unhappy captive's soul, and with one final and ■ gigantic i spasm of anger he rent his narrow cage asunder, and made his way outside of the house. ON THE ROOF. He sprang on top of -an Y adjoining building. The tiles cracked under his | giant paws, and? his haunches sagged through the roof. The place was full of Chinese coolies. With an unearthly chorus of % terrified yells they picked themselves out of their cots, and fled like maddened hares. With an equally unearthly and still more < horror-inspir-ing , roar, the miserable tiger dragged himself out of the hole in the roof arid sprang to terra-firma. He < found 'himself in- a tiny compound—the backyard as we ' . would call —of a house in the Chinese quarter. Here he howled his • anguish to; the four winds. The inhabitants of' the quarter meanwhile rose up like one man ," -■" and shrieked to the stars. * • A Sikh . policeman was : meandering at the moment along the . outside of the compound with , his rifle loaded, looking for trouble. He took a pot at the tiger. The shot alarmed the - town. It was a Roman Catholic anniversary. s The Cathedral of the" Good.Shepherd, close by, was full of worshippers of all breeds ; and colours. • To them came the echo of the; shot -and the roars of thjk wounded tiger, together with ? the ululavions of the multitude. ! They huddled "closed together and redoubled ■ the fervour of their prayers. " Among them were two Eurasians, who had■.; recently enlisted in the Singapore. Rifle Volunteers. They . rose from their ; pews, made ■ their proper genuflections, arid rushed out to save > the town. • - ' •■ .. " ' THE PURSUIT. Meanwhile, the tiger, hotly , pursued by the Sikh policeman, burst into a coolie lodging-house ■- and hid -himself under a ; bunk. The coolies fled and never came back. Crowds collected—hordes. Into thesfe, breathless and perspiring, presently ran the two Portuguese. Their rifles were loaded to the brim. . Chinese crackers were • procured and lighted and cast in upon the luckless - brute, literally by the - million. Shots were fired in volleys and; at random eby the volunteers and Sikhs. ■ > » ■ * Presently the tiger ceased roaring. His /; moans ceased. He lay still under the bunk. The door of the house was opened and he was shot at for another ten minutes. Then the Portuguese were ordered to withdraw, while the • Sikh trotted . off to headquarters to report. In half an hour's time he returned with an inspector, and the door was again opened. The -tiger:, was by this time shot to bits. His hide was porous as a fishing net. i Nevertheless, the inspector had to shoot him before he could be declared officially dead. He shot him. _. Meanwhile 1 a jinriksha came tearing down ' the: street to /the outskirts of the crowd, where there arose a fresh and" ' poignant screaming. "My tiger! Oh, my tiger!" Fat but distracted, the.', Chinese- . mer-.-.-chant was shrieking for the pet fas had lost for, ever, L . - V- J ■.'»• '• ,' '' ' ."'--'