LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2611, 19 August 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A TIGRESS IN AN ENGLISH VIL-

LAQB,

( Concluded .)

‘ I went my round of the cages about an hour ago. I thought I would go Into the cage where the tigress was, for though she was getting on very fairly, there were one or two little tricks which she had not done properly. I found her rather fresh, for she had had too much meat for her meal at four o’clock, I had no sooner entered the cage than I was seized with a violent spasm of the heart. I fell baok against the bars and took immediately a pull at my fhs’t, which I had pub on at your advice. My Impression is that but for that pull at the flask I should have gone. Presently the pain begin to reoar with vehement agony, and the dreadful thought seized me that I should fall senseless and be devoured by the brnte. 1 drew back the door of the cage, intending to make a retreat, and suddenly the tigress flew at it. My Impression is that If I had tried forcibly to prevent her, she would have flown at me. For a single second, and for a single second only, the door was open. She flew by me with a savage growl, and was lost In a minute. There were one or two follows In the circus, who shrieked out with affright and took refuge how they could But the tigress Is gone 1’ ‘ Good Heavens! and do yon mean to say that we have a fierce Bengal tigress quite at large in our little English village of Wester ham, to kill children and cattle and men and women, just as may happen !’ • It is so.’ ' What are you going fo do ?’ ‘ I am going to set off with one or two men to try and find her.’ ‘Do yon think you will have any chance of catching her alive ?’ ‘Not much, I am afraid. If we could manage to lasso her In any way, tomethlng might be done, I expect wo shall have to shoot her. ’

• That will be a great loss.’ ‘Yes ; but our proprietor, in a dangerous tra*e like his, mast take the chances of great losses. A nd he can afford it.’

Nov just at that moment a sadden serious thought struck me. My cousin Lettioe, I knew, every morning was accustomed to tike a walk before breakfast in the gardens and woodland adjoining the gardens of her father’s residence. I felt that I must warn her to keep Indoors It became indeed a serious question how far all the people of the village should be warned, and a general hunt be set on foot. It was determined, however, that we would first see what could be done that night and also the first thing next morning, I determined that at any rate I would call at my uncle’s and put Lettioe on her guard. I now remembered that my nncle belonged to an old fashioned bowling club, and would probably be late that evening. That my ancle should be <?• vonred by the tigress was a contingency which I viewed with alarm, but, at the same time, one which I could contemplate with composure; but any Idea that Lettioe might be running a risk was simply maddening. Jorrocku and his men escorted me as far as my uncle’s. It did not greatly matter which way they went, so they went my way, especially as I told them that there was plenty of cover about my uncle’s place My esteemed avuncular relalion had not returned home. It was to me a matter of much interesting speculation whether my uncle would get devoured by a wild beast or not. Such an event would probably facilitate my plans in relation to Lettlce. The etiquette established at bis place was of a somewhat rigorous kind, and as a general thing I should as soon have thought of dying as of calling to the house as late as eleven o’clock at night. The escapa of the tigress was, however, a very valid plea. My aunt had gone to bed, and Lettioe was sitting up for her father ; for la that house the institution of the latch key was unknown. She rushed to the door, thinking that my knock was her father’s, and appeared to be greatly disappointed in consequence. So I had the little girl to myself, and tried to use the opportunity, hut it was as Tennyson says:

‘ Yi u would and would not, lifctla one, Although I pleaded tenderly. And you and I were all alon i.’ Then I told her the story of the tigress which she at first disbelieved utterly. She even went so far as to assert that it was only an invention of mine, and an excuse for cslllng because I knew her father was out. On the face of it, my story certainly seemed a very improbable one. In moving terms I expressed my righteous indignation at her unjust suspicion, and at last quite convinced her. She gave me her solemn promise that she would not take her usual walk next morning. And now she became greatly alarmed cn her father’s account, I'hat worthy gant'oman dissipated all fears by presently walking in, and he was astounded by the news he heard. We stole back in the moonlight, giving observant looks around ns as we did so. Once or twice we saw, or thought we saw, traces of the tigress’s paws on the green grass. Before we got homo that night, we actually got a glimpse of her. She was visible by the side of a hayrick of a farm known as the Home Farm, belonging to a great squire |in our neighborhood. Thera was no mistaking the suppla form and the great livid streaks cn the creature’s body. Jorrooks came out nobly. He advanced with a rope in one hind and a rifle in the other. Ho uttered a peculiar cry and the creature stopped. He uttered one more and the creators advanced a pace or two. It was not very pleasant, being under the open midnight sky, with a wild beast as one of your nearest neighbors. 1 ha great cat was not pleasant to behold. Hitherto I had failed to realise how the lion and tiger could belong to the cat tribe felis. But in this enormous animal, the green light of tie eye, the tentative attitude, as if

In readiness to spring or to retreat, the bristling hair, the swaying body, I racog® nisod the biggest, wildest, and most cruel cat of all oats. Presently tho bruto give a light roar av d leap, and bounded away. Very early in the mo,nlng, before too villagers might be supposed to ha moving, three or four of us, armed with rides, resumed our march of research Speedily we discovered some traces of the most unpleasant description of tho wild beast. Close by the farmyard where wo hid lest s'ion him was the slaughtered carcass of a line bullock.

The farmer had now made his appearance, and loud were hia lamentations and vociferations. I endeavored to console him by the assurance that he was safe to receive compensation. Very soon the news had spread everywhere, and tho village was full of terror and consternation. Some young follows who belonged to the volunteer corps were ready enough with their weapons of precision, and agreed to keep up a kind of cordon rcund tha village. The chemist, my landlord, placed all his resources at our command, and was prepared to furnish us with sufficient strychnia and prussic acid to massacre the whole of the population three times told. Mr Jorrocbs placed a certain amount of strychnia in tho carcass of the bullock, as he considered that the animal was not unlikely to return to finish his repast. Tho villagers all turned out with hoes, mattocks and exes, A holiday was given to the children of the Board school by the master, who was particularly pleased on his own account by the holiday, for it is an ill wind that blows mbody good. Tho next night there was further nows about the tigress. A horse had been killed by her at a place no lees than fifteen miles off. As this was in another division of the county, and in a district whore there were bigger woods than ours, we began to breathe more easily, and considered that we had devolved our responsibilities upon another po.tion of our fellow c-eatures. lettioehad resum'd her morning walks onoe more. As I had once shouldered my rifle, however, I had determined that I would not lay It down until I had authentically heard that the tigress had been kill id or captured. Caution I had always considered the highest attribute of a military commander, and I wss determined to be cautions.

I considered that it was my special duty to mount watch and guard over my couain Lett! o and an Englishman, as I impressed upon Lettioe, never shrinks from his duty, Lettice attempted to expostulate with me ; but I at once showed my disinterestedness by saying that the had only to give me her solemn promise not to take her morning walk until we heard of the issue about the tigress, and I would renounce my office as sentinel. '3 his promise Lettice declined to give. I was very glad that she declined to give It. and hoped that she declined partly on my account. In truth the fear about the tigress was reduced to a vanishing fraction. Mr Jorrocks had gone sway on hie professional round, and with Mr Jorrooks all imminence of peril had vanished. Jorrooks, wo forcibly argued, would never have gone away If he had thought that the tigress was likely to turn up again in thess latitudes. Still there was the unsatisfactory circumstance that we had heard no news of the fate of the tigress. To this was to be opposed the curlons fact that no account of the escape of the tigress bad found Its way into the newspapers. Marvellous to relate, there was no penny newspaper in our part of the world, and our schoolmaster, who contributed to our local journal, had broken down under the vastness of the theme, and could not find language sufficiently magniloquent to desciibe the state of the parochial mind. 1 still chose to retain my watoh, but it was more from the desire of eeslug Lettioe than from any expectation of seeing the tigress. I think that Lettice never looked more charming than whan she stepaed into her garden on one of those fresh October mornings. Her fresh fair cheeks wore ‘ Like morning roses, newly tipped with dew,’ to quote the words of Sir Henry Bit hop’s beautiful melody, which she ns?d to sing to ns It is only a healthy, vigorous frame like hers that can safely stand the clear cold crispness cf the October air. The last roses of the summer were still in her garden, and there were still some reliquary traces of the blaze of color that was on the flower beds in the summer.

It looked pretty, but slightly ’absurd, to see Lettioe run down the stone steps from the drawing-room in the garden, whde I patrolled the gravel path, with arms fixed like a sentry. My uncle and aunt were somewhat divided in their opinion on the subject. * Cousins are so unnecessarily affectionate,' suggested the uncle, but the aunt thought that she could hardly keep me away from the garden, and that while Lattice continued so wilful and absurd she might as well have what protection I could t fiord her. The garden opened np Into a pretty bit of woodland, a remnant of ‘the forest primeval.’ We walked together on the garden path, Lettie telling me about her latest parcels of books and music and gossip, and when we got into the little wood we would drop into Indian file. Then she went in to breakfast, where I was only very seldom invited by the old people. It not being within Lattice's privilege and functions to issue invitations even to her own oonaln—• more of kin and less of kind. 1

One memorable morning, five days after the escape of the tigress, two days after the departure of Mr Jorrocks ‘for fresh woods and pastures new,’ on the very morning that I had received an intimation from my unole, who had riien unusually early for that express unkind purpose, that from that date my military services would be dispensed with, I accompanied Lattice through the garden, through the little wood, and then crossing a road, we entered a larger wood, which was beyond the limit of my uncle’s domains. Things were coming to a crisis. That morning’s walk was to be my last That week at Weatarham was to ha my last, I had to return to the hospital, and I was very snxious to return ia the proud position of being engaged to Lettioe. While I was thus walking and talking with Lettioe I was suddenly brought, petrified, to a stand.

Only a few yards from the side of the path, in the underwood, was a horrible and awful sight. It was the tigress. Never would be eradicated from memory and mini the sight of her, as I had seen her in the moonlight only a few days ago. She was some hing more awful now, and looked most fierce and angry. She was near enough to have made a direct s ring; but fortanately there was some timber interposed which prevented this. There was only my one singlebarrelled gun, Poor Lettlce turned pale as death, and shrunk almost fsintieg against a tree At the moment I did not know where to shoot. I knew that my one shot must not ba a haphazard one, or it would be all over with cousin Lettlce, or myself, or both of ns. There ia a very fine shot, I believe, between the shoulders, which ought to go straight to the heartj but I was not marksmen enough to trust my £ elf to that. To fire straight at the eyeball, with the hope of piercing the brain, seemed my only chance. I availed myself of what cover there was and resolutely advanced a pace. It was necessary to coma to very close quarters for my shot to ba certain and effective. In all my life I had never felt more cool and collected, I fited deliberately, and, to my unspeakable joy and thankfulness, the huge brute dropped. It was now time to turn to poor Lettico, who had given herself up for lost, and had apparently fainted away. I really wished that on this great occasion my heroine had shown herself a shade more heroic. There was no cold water at band, and I had to try the effect of kissing her to restore the circulation. Presently consciousness returned, acd my hisses also were returned to me She clung to my side, and called ma her love and her preserver. Shota were not uncommon those October mornings in the woods; so mine had attracted no notice, and I had to go to the house and give my astounding tidings before any one came near is. Such an uproar In the house, such an uproar through ad the village I Public opinion in our little village declared that nothing was too good for me; and the public opinion even of a little village, to those who have known no other. Is very powerful. I had won Lattice's consent, and now, in a sudden moment of surprise, I obtained her father’s. £ am bound to say that ho tried to wriggle out of it after, wards, but .1 sucoaedod in keeping him to the point.

•Of course, air,’ said Mr Jorrocka to me, * It most have been a very "gratifyln’ thing to you to have saved your young ■woman.' Mr Jorrooka had promptly made his appearance on the scene to claim the skin and skeleton of his tigress. I had explained to him that my lucky shot had not only saved my life but was about to he’p me to a wife. ‘ But if you think that killing the tigress gets yon a wife yon are mist ;.ken. Of oouras a young girl’s obliged to a gentleman for saving her life, but then aho’a not going to hand over the who 1 e of it as a [consequence. Lor, I’ve known girls who have had their lives saved, and they have hardly said a * thank you ’ for it. It’s my private opinion, air, that you had ’ticed her long afore, and that she would have had you all the aime, whether yon hid killed a tigress or not.’ To a supposition so fluttering I cou’d enly bow assent, more especially as In my heart of hearts I both wished and believed it true. In return I gave Mr Tarrocks a grsat deal of valuable advice about the treatment of his heart, which he has had the good sense to ollow In the msin. Ho has given np the age in favor of the commissariat and ex* hequer department of hi? business, and he tells mo anl Lett'ce that he fcolo consider* ably batter.