CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. [From the Graham's Town Journal, February 7.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume V, Issue 408, 30 June 1849, Page 3

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. [From the Graham's Town Journal, February 7.]

We have been favoured with an account of a terrific encounter by Mr. Charle3 Orpen, son of the Rev. C. E. H. Orpen, of Colesberg with a tiger, in the countn across the Orange River. The details are contained in the following passage from an account before .us, dated 25th ult. :—: — "Mr. Charles Orpen had jVt returned from the interior, after having bad almost narrow escape irora death, in an encounter with a tiger that had been wounded. The furious animal leaped upon him,' 'struck bis gun and whip out of his hands witlr the first blow of his paws, and wounded his head very severely wtih his teeth in several places. All the wounds on his head are on the scalp, except a severe one on his right temple, leaving a large scar, and a slight one on the forehead just above the nose. The flow of blood from these wounds pi evented his seeing, as it ran into his eyes ; bui nevertheless he continued to grapple with the animal, and' finally to throw it down and kneel upon it. During this struggle Mr. Orpen endeavoured to seize the tiger by the throat, but not succeeding in this, he grasped it by the under jaw. Thus situated he continued for about half an hour, struggling with the animal until at length gradually relaxing his hold, it sank down anJ died from loss of blood. At the same time Mr. Orpen, unable to hold op any longer, fell fainting upon the savage beast. His hand and arms were shockingly mutilated, there being thirty- three wounds on one, and twenty-five on the other. Many of the wounds are down and even into the bone. Sone quite through the hand, and across the veins, arteries, and nerves. Besides otb*>r wounds, he was scratched in numerous places by the animal's claws, and his clothes were nearly torn from bis back. The head and skin of the tiger have been preserved, measuring nine feet from the nose* to' the tip of the tail. Mr. O. was laid up for two months and a half, often fainting from weakness. His wounds frequently bled afresh, the blood being so thin as to be almost colourless. " At the time of this encounter, Mr. Curaraing (his travelling companion) lay ill of a fever in his waggon. He had, however, with him four Caffres with assagais, one Hottentot with a gun and two dogs ; the latter were useless, merely springing about yelping, while the Caffres, throwing away their assagais, ran off at once. The Hottentot leaped into the river close by, and in a fright fired off his gun in the air. Mr. O. suffered greatly by the jolting of the waggon, and the want of prcper medical assistance. He is now gradually recovering, though it is feared he will never recover the proper use of his left hand."