THE TIGER PROWLING THROUGH A VILLAGE.
49
In order lo alToril ihc reader .1 f d l idea, preparatory 10 his entering on the
several Numbers ^vhieh form tlie series of ll.i. nol.le and nnimaletl spec.es ol
enterprise, it may W proper to give some deseription of tiger, n, general ;
o b s e r L g , tl,at, tWngl, the vvl.ole of the feline species thrcghont In. ,a are
often l,i:ncled nnder the general term of bkaug. yet thai the anunal wh,eh ts
he snbjcet of th.s part of the work is the royal t.ger, a nCs ermed by U«
natives who speak with propriety, the » e r ; nnplyu.g hterally the ^ head, o
principal of its kind. In faet, the royal liger ,s the sportsman s pr.ne.pal
IJbject, bo.h on aeconnt of Its depredations, and of the covers n. wh.eh .t ,s
nsnally found.
Tho^ewho visit the Tower, perhaps conclude from the wildness and apparent
ferocity of the tigers exhibited there, ihal, were one to get loose, wouhl not
e r nntil it ha.î des.royed every living object within i.s v,ew I have no
donbt however, that the first aet of a tiger, if hheratcd from .ts cell, wo ,ld
be to gain some sheller, where it might be hidden from the eyes of man ; for,
notwithstanding the extreme boldness with which tigers act on some occasions
„nd whieh no doubt results ci,her from extreme hunger, or rom re.teratcd
success they are, generally speaking, very pusillannuous. It happens l.nt
a ly hat they act openly, even in situations where persons may uuhappdy be
e ^ t L d eompletely to their assaults. They delight in coneeahug themselves,
l e ^ l y when intent ou making a prey; and should they adveuftmusly he
d 'covered, or he defeated iu their lirst attack, they or.linarily retreat w,th preeip
r . i o n In faet, so closely docs the tiger resemble the cat, that the latter
n i y b e deemed a .igcriu minialure ! Their u.olions, their tempers, ther hal^.ts
•Tall precisely similar ; and, except iu the number of young usually orne a
a litter it would perhaps be dillieult lo point out any d,sln,gmshn,g t.a.L u
: „ : t l l a n e e the/strongly assimilate, namely, that tigers, as well as eats,
Invariably cover their escrcmenls.
I t is held as an axiom in the natural history of the feline species, that none
will volnnlarily take to the water. We are all sensible of the extreme avers,on
n do,ues,icate;i cats either to swim.uiug, or even to wett.ug the.r fee . 1 ul
we know that male eats, at particular seasons, stroll al„-oad regardless of heavy
Z the possessors of'hen-,-oosts will often find that pole cats, and even
e 'eats, will cross moats, or wade thtough marshes ,0 plunder. Heuce we
: y :v„l ont much presumption, infer, that such as are brought np ,n a
Z e s t i e state, a,e uo, ou every occasion perfectly s.m.lar to such as are bo n
, „ n „ate of nature. Annuals that have to seek thcr own sub-
• I f : : -e mured to di«ie„lties; and must, at tiutes, when
l e T b y hunger, act with less reserve, and effcet thcr purposes by .«ans
w l l h Jould tppear somewhat ex,raofdl„a,-y. or even unnatural, ,n such s,
lei",g under no such iu.pulse, are .„ore passive, a.ul awa.t w,th conf.denee the
tender of their daily supplies.
That tigers will occasionally lake to water, is too well known to require
being forcibly dwelt on in this place. In the SimJcrhunds, especially, they are
often seen swiinniing aci-oss the various rivers which form the innuiuerable
islands, inhabited only by wild beasts, and prescnling an immense barrier, all
along the sea coast, from Saugar island to the great n.outh of ihe Megna. Üf
this propensity in tigers, ,hc molungia, or sall-boilers, are so thoroughly aware,
that, while performing their duties on the long spits of sand which project into
the iea, from the impenetrable jmiglcs that skirt the soil, a look-out is always
kept for tigers on the opposite banks of the rivers; ami as soon as any appear,
the whole take to tlighl, and conceal themselves in eaves excavated for the
purpose; from which it, however, sometimes happens, the hungry animal removes
every obstacle with his claws, and drags out one or more of the inhabitants,
already half dead with ten-or.
The reader will naturally inquire, why some means are not adoptwl for
opposing devastations of this' nature, and for securing the moiungia from such a
di-eadful misfortune! The fact is, that no one is a „mlmgie from choice ; but,
aeemxling to tile principle prevailing throughout Hindostán, the occupation of
the father, and of Ills ancestors, is continued invariably by his posterity. The
vwlimmes would, howevel-, readily deviate from this principle, if they had the
powel" to do so ; but, being kept to their posts by various guards of revenue
peons, or officers, they are unable to .[uit their miserable situations. These
revenue officers are, in addition lo some provincial militia, posted at all the
stations whereby it is possible to escape in boat, : as lo making off by land, it
would he utterly inipo,sible; the surrounding country being an immense wilderness
full of tigers, and abounding in snakes ; and intersected by a labyrinth
of rapid waters, replete with alligators and other reptiles. This unlortmiate race
of human beings sometimes obtai.l additions to their number, when trespassers
attempt to escape from the pursuit ofjustice, and to wind through the mazes of
the inland navigation. These are handed over to the salt pans, whence not one
in a million ever returns. To arm persons of sueli a description, would be to
an-ord them an immediate emancipation ; and would subvert that establishment
which supplies Bengal with salt, and affords to the government a revenue not
much under a million of money annually ! No doubt but lime will Inriiish the
means of substituting some less objectionable means of providing so indispensable
an article of eonsump.ion, and do away what must, till then, be classed among
ihe many necessary evils with which humanity is burthened !
I have already remarked, thai the royal tiger is the theme of this, and of the
seve,-al numbers composing this part of the work. The leopard wh.ch is much
less than ihe tiger, and whose habits in many instances are diflerent, will be
treated of iinder a separate head. The royal tiger is the great destroyer ot men
and cattle ; whereas the leopard ordinarily coiilines himself to animals ol less
bulk, among which, however, his genius for destruction shines very eonspieuously
; being, in general, very wanton in his a lbeks, and often kil mg, as 1
were, more for sport than for food. penclum,. indeed, is observable m all
the smaller animals of the tiger kind, and seems rather 10 increase in proportion
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