A JAVANESE TIGER EIGHT

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 18, 29 July 1893, Page 3

A JAVANESE TIGER EIGHT

An English, traveller in Java who saw one of the tiger lights peculiar to the island, thus describes the strange sport ; —The tiger is set down in a trap in the centre of the Allon-Allon, or great square, and is surrounded by a triple or a quadruple line of spearmen, about a hundred yards distant from him. When all is ready, a Javanese advances at a very slow pace, to the sound of soft music and sets fire to the trap, at the same time opening the door at the back part of the cage, which by the way is too narrow for the tiger to turn in. As the fire begins to singe his whiskers, he gradually backs out. The man, as soon as he opens the door, begins walking toward the crowd at a slow pace, and the slower he is the more applause does he gain. The tiger meanwhile, having backed out of his burning prison, is rather astonished at finding himself surrounded by hundreds of people, each pointing a spear at him. If he is a bold tiger he canters onnd the circle, almost touching the spears; finding no opening, then he

returns to the centre, .fixes.his eyes on one spot, , and-with a-loud; roar dashes, straight at it.

He is received on the. spears, and though he crushes many as if they were mere reeds, in half a minute he falls dead, pierced by a hundred weapons. ,

In some instances, however, the roar and the charge aie too much for the Javanese, and they give way. The sport then becomes rather dangerous to spectators.