THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 82

THE NATURALIST.

I In in- '>. uri.au ■> c ci. livnel and Sport,"' I'.jlj Joiin liiadie^, an .Lngnsii sportsman, iciis o£ an unwelcome experience tnat beicll ' linn v. hiie hunting tigers in eastern Bui man. ! i'o-.iimui.&ij loi nun, he was hunting with friencifc at the time i V. c marc'ied along carelessly w ithout i o^-uivmg order 01 caution the writes;, and ! \ieie net prepared to take acUamage oi I Ak'oar «. varmng, whan he exclaimed, "Bt-nare, sahib ! ' and a full-grown tiger < wear pa •si. tis ai a gallop. I A -Uagg-hnj; vollej w^> fired after it, and , aicnoug-fi evidently noi struck, the bea<t 1 -iopp€u, ami rearing up en us hind legs, ciawed the bark oi a tree just as a cat ir_raixhr~ the leg ot a chan oi a table. Air L.rant ana 1 fiied simultaneously, but vAiioat efieet, and before a thought of ihe creature's intention had time to fla^h i.iiotij,n rtij , rmna, 1 was down under its paw s. Seizing me by the left thigh, the tiger t-iiock me as a dog shakes a -rat, and tnen, yrowhng- horribly, dragged me at a tremendous rate through the thick undergrowth of the forest. I heard the frightened shoutb of my companions and the report o: &<?veral 6hots, and then a dizziness came o^el• Die; but I did not lose consciousness, i As 1 i\a« jolted through the forest J Reicral times ca;ignt hold of the trees, but | the tigei, growling fiercely, shook me free '' in an instant. All this time, although 1 quirs calm and collected, I felt a strong J desire to presene my existence, and never foi a moment o\penenced that apathy with regvirrt to tho dr.ngar that some people have tiocubotl undei" similar circumstances. j iio\'. long 1 ii.i' in the jaws of this brute , I c<ini.oi tell It soouied to me an age j biki-e the creature stopped. My coinI pan'en aftoi wards declared that I had j betn diagged at least half a mile from i the s-ooi where 1 was first seized. They j followed as fa*t as they could run, and although I was unaware of it at the time, j ric\cr lost sigm of tnc beast. To thir, i ciicuniotancc 1 urdoubtedly ov. c my life, ! for iv.d there been any delay in renderj ing me assistance, it must haMi been fatal ! to me. Uhe moment the tiger halted it released my thigh, and seemed to be attracted by the approach of rm companions, although as yet I did not see them my:>elf. Taking advantage of this release, I tried to escape to tht shellei of some tall bushes near at hand. In an inotant and with a terrible roar the creature pounced upon me, seizing me this time by the shoulder, and at the same time lacerating my chest with its clav.s. A was fired, and I heard the bullet ■whittle o\erhead. Fear of hitting me had caused them to aim too high. A second and thnd ohot were equally unsuccessful; and the tiger, again releasing me. began to lick up the blocd which cozed through my jacket. I began to feel very faint, and could not suppress a groan. Several times the tiger dabbed hi^ paws, apparently in play, about my face, but did not use his claws, fortunately for me. Presently the beast seemed to spit like an angry cat at someone approaching, whose footsteps I could hear, but whom I could not see, owing to my position, for I was lying flat on my back. There was the sharp bang of a rifle close to my head, a heavy weight fell across me. and then I j comprehended that my friend was pulling . me from under the dead body of the tiger.