1960-10-01 — Page 17

SPE

GKON

+

I FOUGHT the MAN-EATERS

HE Dhak flowers, red as blood,

THE

had bloomed-the time for the man-eaters was at hand, still we were surprised when not one, but a whole family of man-eaters swooped down on us. And thẹn...

by

Ivan Cameron World-wide traveller, and author of more than 200 stories

I heard the thunderous roar of "The. people say the 'lakla' a tiger; then the scream of a is devouring her soul.' woman!. There was a moment of silence in which only the drone of insects was audible in

among primitive Feed of lightning striking the the sweltering Indian noontime. tribes. Although Vic Rosner, as

ground. I have never heard Then an angry horror burst Jesuit Priest, and 'Zemindar'

such a noise in my life.

Here it was again—a supersti- tion that is remarkable for its persistence

The

blasts from

With a roar, the

raging cat smashed over me

over the village, men shouting. (manager) of the Rengarith raging cat smashed right over women wailing, dogs, howling.

I heard two forest estate, was teaching these me. Sahib Victor Rosner plucked tribals Christianity. he has yet Rosner's 405 and a wild yelling the wound, he swallowed the

I got up powerful plant to drive out the dark, lurking from the Adibasis. a 405 rifle and a 12-bore from

dazedly, hurting in every bone blood poison) and our searching the gun cabinet. He thrust the witchcraft.

and feeling sick."

party found him dead a few shotgun and a handful of shells

miles from the scene.

at me: .were

With Maghi doing the track- I knew the cartridges ing, we followed the tiger's trail loaded with 1,000-grain for two miles.

Then we found British Rhotex slugs, one of the the place in a grove of mango greatest.

short-range shocker's trees where the cat had paused. in the world.

The spoor led, upwards from jungle, green cathedrals' up rocky, almost barren slopes.

Witchcraft

cubs follow their mother.

I was in time to see the two One fell under spears, but his twin escaped arrows and down the mountainside.

the

Old monster

"Man-eater in the village We fought our way up huge

The tigress sprawled a few streets," he said, moving fast. rock slides. Half way up. Ifeet from me. The delighted Shouting and jigging like focused, my binoculars on the natives were dancing on her Comanches on the warpath, highest ridges, and there stood carcass and shouting: "Ek dum the. Adibasi aborigines led us the tigress in regal silhouette pakka! Very good!” to a hut within 40 yards of with two smaller tigers' beside the towering forest.

her.

เ

slammed

An earthquake

cart for refuge in case we all missed on that first charge.

A breathless hush gripped the village as Maghi stole up to the hut, slipped the cham pushed the door inward, and

himself drug (not a flattened

quickly against the wall, his spear poised. The hut was quiet. I watched the silent entrance "in never-tingling suspense.. I visualised the trapped beast, pacing the dark interior, try- The man-eater's last and most ing to make up its mind. incredible invasion of Rosner's village

was again in daylight.

the man-eating tiger. An astonished native saw him of Rengarih came out roaring. sitting calmly on his haunches He covered 30 feet in that--

of a man first bound, and stopped in before the door step named Rungu. Almost all of the the court yard, glaring def- villagers were in their huts for antly at the surrounding horde the 'biari, or evening meal, and of humanis not even the dogs had yet dis- covered the animal.

Then

Puny human

His flaming :amber

eyes fixed on mine, I was the near-

puny human who

dared

Hardly glancing at the slain cat, Vic's first concern was for When the alarm went up, "She was sitting here pound- We reached the top by late me. "I say, Chota Sahib, the most of the Adibasis rushed; ing millet," said Maghi, a mus- afternoon, Blood-red the sun,

beast didn't scratch you, did into their court yards, and cular, pattle-scarred black and and the whining winds of the she?"

Rungu, a brass supper plate est object, barring his way- Sahib Rosner's best 'shikari.' early. monsoon

That rolieved things some in hand, virtually stepped into 2 us against the mountains, Soon a what. No, I wasn't scratched; the tiger's arms. He was in- challenge his terrible powers. deluge of rain would hammer just half knocked senseless by stantly seized and dragged back I had hated and feared this the land. But Maghi had my first face-to-face encounter into his own domicile.

merciless kaller, but I must tracked the tigress to the ex with a charging tiger; and it

admit he was magnificent. “My act. cave, and he also reasoned grawed at my self-esteem Within moments, the entire rifle was at my shoulder, the that she counted on a way during the jubilant return to village ringed the hut, and stock biting into my flesh, the out. He spread. several. men the village.

Maithu, a reckless hunter, went sights wavering as I stared around the ridge. They found

in with an axe. He struck two down the gleaming barrel. opening

the ineffective

with blows

the Fear froze in my throat. opposite slope, and sealed it

and weapon,

and then retreated, with boulders.

The 17-21

Club's five rules

Membership in the 17-21 Club is

to all open within that age group. Contributions and all ac- tivities of the Club will be limited to members only.

letters, stories, photo-

a.

A

narrow

Fire arrows

were

:

on

་

the

un-

4

one

of

Rosner

SOOD-"

―

}

Vie RomÉT

**EK Sahib"

dura pakka,

(very

good

the

eaves of climbed the

a defiant

snarl

as

kitten.

The

bura- great

Takla's'

is your name April ?

We knew that tiger cubs had escaped; that

the male of the family closing the door. The tiger was In that second, the tiger's still roamed the hills.

trapped at last but what of the shattering roar was dwarfed He struck on the third day man?

by the thunder of our g2715. leaping over the village walls

A pullet from my 300 The Adibasis

ready, to carry away a child. Two

and I arrived at the smashed into his chest as be They clustered

At that he struck again, scene in time to hear Rungu's loomed above me. around Vic, days later, devoutly addressing him as walking boldly through an open cries for help: "Come, Maithu, same instant, "Lamba Sahib,"

I have already blasted him from the rear. (the tall gate ine Khampong, and come in again. white-man) for he is six-feet- pouncing on a young girl in the lost a leg, I still live come four; and I was "Chota Sahib," streets. the small and relatively

Terror gripped Rengarih Following Vic, I jerked my white-man), the important one,

Adibasis Province. Fantastic witch self up over

screeched joyously, clapping doctors "Chota

exorcised evil spirits, Rungu's roof, and Sahib will kill the

native and

drums fav-

throbbed crackling tiles toward the gable. me on the back. I felt weak laklas'," Victor decided,

the sun went down. Clutching my ⚫ouring me

.300 Weatherby. with a grin that I when shall always. remember. "But Perhaps the

booming drums Joined by Maghi and several career was ended at last. irst we will shoot some fire would frighten, the man-eater, husky Adibasi tribesmen, we Contributions may consist

chopped a hole in the roof and arrows inlo the cave to bring but I didn't think so.

interior. of anything that is the animals out."

peered into the dark Once, during a. break in We heard a low moan from publishable articles,

barrage

flaming the monsoon, I made my way Rungu, and of

Vic saw the arrows whisked into the cave. to the base of the mountain from the tiger. graphs, drawings, verses.

the the cave-pitted tiger's vague outline in Walter-Locke and studied I gripped the But only the best will 12-bore and walked toward the ridges through binoculars. I semi-darkness, and blasted with be printed.

deep, black hole in the moun- saw a strange and intimate his .405.. tain. I was on my own, com- scene in the life of the Bihar

The shot failed to comect, All contributions MUST mitted to taking first shot at the tiger. There was the huge, old be original.

tigress if she came charging monster playing with his son and then an earthquake seemed out:

the entrance to the den. to strike' the but. The tiger Written contributions

He was teaching his son to leaped repeatedly for our sky- should not consist of The acrid smoke and fumes of him playfully. The range was raced around

I stopped before the entrance. fight, roughing him up, biting light, and after every miss, the walls like a more than 350 words, burning tallow

rose in the too far for my gun.

thunderous volley ball. "The photographs and draw- evening air. I looked around.

enraged beast realised the Father Rosner said the sur- had entered his own death ings will only be accept- The

were ebony ed in black-and-white,

statues, with drawn bows and yiving male and his son, would cage, and there was no chance poised spears, waiting. Rosner become a terrible menace to the for another shot at him now.

entire Bihar district unless we stood a few yards behind me, with a reassuring smile, his gun got them soon. There is a tiger

Frozen fear cradled over his arm.

on record in Burma with 143 authentic human kills, and "Maghi, hurry down and let I started things off by hurl- others of around 160 kills are him out through the door," ing a rock into the cave. It reported from India.

Rosper shouted. “We can't shoot clattered -hollowly against the

again because Rungu may stil walls, and we heard a low, We didn't get them soon! be alive. And if

Chota you = ominous growį.

Then it was Their killings mounted appal- Sahib - would station yoursel deathly silent, I fired one of the lingly as the murderous pair in the street below we'll cente barrels point blank into the moved from village to village. our fire and get him as mouth of the cave.

That did But when the toll reached 20, comes out." it! I never had a chance to get we had a stroke of luck. The

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Adibasis

off my second shot.

near

half-grown cub, sprang the

Vic crawled to the edge of trigger cord of a 15-foot bam- the low, sloping roof, his gun The tigress burst from the boo bow set along one of the pointed over the eaver, and I smoke screen with a snarling jungle trails, and was wounded set up shop in the court yard. an overturned bullock roar, and with the blinding by "abrin' tipped arrow. Licking I had

APRIL, A LATIN NAME, MEANS THE OPEN? *** FROM THE FOURTH MONTH, WHEN THE EARTH OPENS TO . THE BLOSSOMING OF SPRING..

STI BELL S

Kayed