5-1 r i G E R SEIZING A BULLOCK IN A PASS.
lOtivc, the
IcMil, and as persi'voriiig, as atiy oilier animals.
Mr. P.un. ol' Duiidporv, m Iio lia.s l)ceii spoken of in Uic precciling Number,
and wlio, t (lonl)l iioL, lias killed as many ligers as any luindrcd persons in India,
lifted oi'ten lo remark, lliaL he could inslanlly, aL sight ot'a liger, dccidc whellier
or not it liiul Ix'on in ihe hiihil of allaeking tlic human race; or wliollier its
(k'vaslations had hceii confined to cattle, &c. He observed, that such as had
once killed a man, ever after eared but little for any other prey; and that they
could be distinguished by tiie remarkable darkness of their skins, and by a
redness in the cornea, or whites, of the eyes. P.wi. was assuredly a eoinpclent
judge; but, I apprehend, this assertion partook more of hypothesis than of
reason. At all events, il must be considered as a very nice distinction. Many
eiri-umstances seemed lo corroborate his opinion as lo their predilection for
hiiman llesh ; it having been nbservod in various instances, that such ligers as
had been in lhe habit of attacking travellers, rarely diil inucii mischief among
ihe neighbouring herds. We can readily conceive, that the ease with which a
human body may be dissected by a tiger, might cause him to give it a preiVrcncc
; bul with vcgai •d lo lhe physical eflects of such diet, we may, witiiout
being accused of scepticism, rctpiire something more than bare assertion, or an
individual opinion, ere we cease to doubt.
Il is said lhat many strong, bohl persons, have killed tigers by catching, or
rather by receiving iheni, in their spring, by means of a broad substantial shield
covennl wilh a ihick net work, in ^vhic]l the claws become enlanglcil. and
opportunity to lhe hazardous adventurer lo ))lnnge a sharp knife,
similar to those in use among pork butchers, once, or oftencr, into
)r ribs of the animal, as he stands on his hind legs on sach occasions,
bservation as to the weight and powers of a tiger, teach me to confable
•MXard ai
somewha
the chest
My own
sider this as mei
; for f am fully convinced, that no man, however robust,
could sustain thi
veight of a liger for one moment on his left arm ; much less
j-esisi the violent spring of an animal, whose m IioIc strength is collectcd for the
occasion, and whose paw falls wilh such inconceivable force as lo fracture llie
skull of an ox. We all know lhat, in various parts of the world, divers arc
furnished wilh knives for the purpose of stabbing sharks, which often attack
them. Those uuacifuainled uilh the form of thai iish's mouth, may doubt
whether any man could defend himself from aground shark of, perhaps, twenty
feet or more in length; bul lhe case is
widely din'erenl between the
animals. The shark's month is placed so la
• back, being |)erhaps a foot behind
his nose, thai l>erore he can seize his preV:,
he must turn on his side; thus
giving lhe diver lime to avoid the bite, and,
at the sai
lent, presenting to
iiis ail
1 the only vital part susceptible of the fatal instrument.
The inelhod of deslroying ligers, said to be common in Persia, and lowards
llie north of lliiuloslan, appears far more reasonable, as well as more
concordant wilh the genius of ihe pcople. This device consists of a large
semi-spherieal cage, made of strong bamboos, or other eflicient materials, woven
together, but leaving intervals throughout, of about three or four inches broad.
Under this cover, wliich is fastened to the gi'ound by means ol' pickets, in some
place where tigers abound, a man, provided witli two or three short strong
spears, takes post at night. Being accompanied by a dog, which gives the
alarm, or by a goat, which by its agitation answers the same ])urpose. the
adventurer wraps himself up in his quilt, and very composedly goes to sleep,
in full confidence of his safety. \Vhen a tiger comes, and, perhaps after smelling
all around, begins to rear against the cage, the man slabs him with one ol'the
spears through the interstices of lhe wicker work, and rarely fails of deslroying
lhe liger, whicli is ordinarily found dead at no great distance in the morning.
The most curious, and indeed the safest method except the poisoned arrow,
is in use in some partsof the Nabob Vizier of Oude's dominions. Í never saw il
practised, though it lias repeatedly been described to me by the natives in that
quarter, and particularly by a Mussulman gentleman, who was for many years
a public character at lhe Nabob's court, and who lately paid a visil to this
country. Though it is probable lhat many asniilewill be excited by the recital,
yet, as I have a confidence in the fact, and do not percieve any thing improbable
in the mailer, I hesitate not to present it lo my readers.
The track of a tiger being ascertained, which though not invariably the same,
may yet be known sufiiciently for the purpose, the peasants collect a quantity of
the leaves of the prauss, which are like those of the sycamore, and are common in
most underwoods, as they form the larger portion of most jungles in the north of
Lidia. These leaves are smeared with a species of bird-lime, made ])y bruising
the berries of an indigenous tree, by no means scarce, but of which 1 cannot
al present call to mind the name ; they are then strewed wi lh the gluten uppermost,
near to that opake spot to which it is understood the liger usually resorts
during the noon tide heals, [f by chance the animal should tread on one of
tlie smeared leaves, his fate may be considered as decided, He commences l)y
shaking his paw, with the view lo remove the adhesive incumbrance; but
(inding no relief from that expedient, he rubs the nuisance against his face wilh
the same intention, by which means his eyes, cars, &c. become agglulinaled,
and occasion such uneasiness as causes him to roll, perhaps among many more of
the smeared leaves, lill al length he becomes completely enveloped, ami is
deprived of sight. In this situalion he may be coni])ared lo a man who has
been larred and feathered. The anxiety produced by ihi.s sirange and novel
predicament soon discovers itself in dreadful bowlings, which serve lo call lhe
watchful peasant.?, who, in this slate, find no diilicuily in shooting the mottled
object of detestation.
I i
im given
of the
•rsland, lhat some exceplio
irlrayed in the Plate allac
bulk ot tlia tiger p.
bably by gentlemen who have only
Exeter Change, if we were lo take
;en the n
ich as are
is have been made to the great
led to this Number, most proenageries
at the Tower and al
there exhibited Ibr a standard.
S i B S
A TIGER SEIZING A BULLOCK IN A PASS. 55
the criticism would be just; but there is a wide difference indeed between the
wild parent, and the cub reared in a cage. Even among builaloes, in their
savage and in their domeslicaled sUites, Ave perceive a wondrous disproportion
in stature; notwithstanding lhat the latter, from the complete liberty they have
as to extent of range, and in regard lo enjoymenl in their favourite element,
tlic water, can scarcely be said to be reclaimed. Farther, let it be understood,
lhat, at the moment of seizure, as also wlien exasperated, a tiger raises his fur
in the same manner as a cat; and, exclusive of the magnifying ])owers of fear,
appears far more Inilky than when in a calm and passive stale. Nor should it
be unnoticed, that the cattle of India are rather of a small stature ; so much so,
that a bullock four feet six inches at the shoulder, is deemed (it for all the
purposes of the ordnance department, in wliich tliey arc invariably em|)loyed.
All these considerations combined will reconcilc the apparent disproportion,
and should satisfy the reader of the correctness of the Plate in every particular.
The cattle throughout India are mostly while. They are generally very
vicious; and beiug reared among the natives, arc so alarmed and irritable in lhe
presence of an European, as lo require much skill and firmness in the management.
When used tor draught, they are worked with a single yoke, lixed by an
iron bolt across the hea<l of the beam, or i)ole, and are kept in their places J)y
two straps of leather, ])assing under llieir tliroals respectively. The pads, of
such as arc employed to carry burthens, are of the same materials as those for
elephants. The upper pad is of a narrow kind of canvas callcd iaiil, stuffed
wilh straw : the under pa.l is ordinarily lined wilh blanket, and filled wilh
cotlou or wool. These pads are kept on by a strong kind of tape, going completely
round them, and under the animal's belly, having at each end a loop of
iron, or of Avood, through which a strong cord being passed many limes, the
pads may be braced on lo any degree of tightness. A bullock may carry from
three to live mauuds, of eighty pounds each, according lo size and other circuinslances.
Grain is generally laden in two iauf bags, laced logether and suspended
one on each side ; bul. to prevent the pressure from galling, a few
pieces of small round bamboo are stitched lo each side of the upper pad, longitudinally,
and s
alile of Bengal are, in general, of
búllalo butter, an
e lo render the weight uniform. Oil and ghee, or granulated
carried in dubbahs, or carboys, made of green ox hide, containing
about eiglit or ten gallons each. The
the shorl-horncd kind ; those of .Madras, lhat is lo say of lli
thein more i
the antelope
journey with
not Ihiit the
tended to b,
between the
be utterly impossible lo manage th
left lo balance themselves. TIk; rei
of the pieces of laul, give iheni a
J»y no means displeasing lo the eye.
iprighl and slraigliler ; somewhat similar in form
. All cattle in Inilia are exlrfuiely skittish, and rar
loiil throwing their loads every four or live miles. Ind
natives adopt the prcraulion of boring lhe noses of a
! reared for Avork, and pass a rope through the xcjiliim,
nostrils, tying il bidiind lhe horns so as to bccom(r a re
the ho
liave
•ns of
ike a
ere it
n. The bags are
or black threads,
ivcly appcarance ;
arely tied do'
. n „ i „ g II,. w I c g l l ,
LI lar, an;
The bamhoo is so often noticed in th
prove useful. 11 is of the reed kind.
•rk, that some description of il may
iving lo the height of sixty feet, or
more, and may be often seen six inches diameter near the root from wliich il
tapers u|) gradually to the top, lhe joints becoming longer and more hollow.
The branches arc very strong, but small, having little or no cavity, antl are
furnished with handsome spear-shaped leaves of about four inches long, by less
than one inch in breadth al the widest part. Il bears neither blo.s.soins nor
fruit, and is propagated cither by the suckers it shoots u[) around its roots
in the rainy season, and which arc then excellent for pickling, or by culling
into staves of three or four joints each, Avhen being buried half way in the
ground, during dripping weather or in wet silualions, ihey soon vegfelale, and in
the course of a few years become both useful and ornamental fences. The hill
bamboos, Avhich are used for making luHics, or slaves, rarely grow to more
than two incites in thickness. They arc amazingly lough, having in general an
inconsiderable cavity ; and after being dres.sed with oil while hot, retain their
suppleness for many years. They form excellent shafts for spears ; and the
lightest answer adminii)ly for inserting into the \salls of tents, purdahs, &,c.
They are in general use as walking slicks among the natives.
In windy, dry Avcather tin
the hills on which they gro
r friction often cau.ses them to take fire; occasioning
r lo assume a beautiful ap})carance at night.