of a large tiger, which, a short time since, killed three
natives in four nights at this place. The village is
surrounded by a stockade to keep out these ravenous
beasts, and the gate is guarded at night by a native
armed with a musket. One evening this tiger stole
up behind the guard, sprang upon him, and, as a native
said who chanced to see it, killed him instantly
with a blow of her paw on the back of his neck.
She then caught him up and ran away with him.
The next day the body was found partly eaten, and
was buried very deeply to keep it out of her reach.
The second evening she seized and carried off a native
who was bathing in the stream at the foot of the
cliff. The captain now found he must try to destroy
her, and therefore loaded a musket with a very heavy
charge of powder and two bullets. The gun was
then lashed firmly to a tree, and a large piece of fresh
meat was fastened to the muzzle, so that when she
attempted to take it away she would discharge the
piece, and receive both bullets. The next morning
they found a piece of her tongue on the ground
near the muzzle of the gun, and the same trap was
set again; but the next night she came back and
took away a second man on guard at the gate of the
dusun. The captain now started with a corporal
and eight men, determined to hunt her down. They
tracked her to a place filled with tall grass, and closing
round that, slowly advanced, until two or three
of them heard a growl, when they all fired and killed
her instantly. It proved to be a female, and she had
evidently been so daring for the purpose of procuring
food for her young.
May lsi.—The rain continued through the night,
and only cleared away at daylight. In two hours
I started, though I found myself ill from such continued
exertion and exposure to a burning sun and
drenching rains, and, more than all, from drinking so
many different kinds of water in a single day. I was
accompanied by a soldier who was one of the eight
who went out to hunt the tiger that killed so many
natives in such a short time. He repeated to me all
the details of the whole matter, and assured me that
a piece of the brute’s tongue was found on the ground
just as the captain said, and that, when they had secured
her, they found that a part of her tongue was
gone.W
e had not travelled more than half a mile before
we came upon the tracks of two tigers, a large
one and a small one, probably a female and her
young, which had passed along the road in the same
way we were going. The perfect impressions left by
their feet showed they had walked along that road
since the rain had ceased, and therefore not more
than two hours before us, and possibly not more than
ten minutes. We expected to see them at almost every
turn in the road, and we all kept together and proceeded
with the greatest caution till the sun was high
and it was again scorching hot. At such times these
dangerous beasts always retreat into the cool jungle.
For eight paals from Bunga Mas the road was
more hilly than it was yesterday. In many places
the sides of the little valley between the ridges were
so steep that steps were made in the slippery clay
for the natives, who always travel on foot. Seven paals