FOR THE CHILDREN.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2664, 20 November 1909, Page 4 (Supplement)

FOR THE CHILDREN.

'THIS. MISPLACED TIGER

AN ADVENTURE IN SINGAPORE.

The little coasting steamer that runsbetween Singapore and Pahang arrived in harbor one day with a magnificent specimen of the Paliang tiger,, roaring himself hoarse and lashing his tail inside a small but stout nativemade cage on the after-deck. The- • Chinese supercargo had picked it up cheap at the northern port. Its brownskined captors could not offord to feed it; so it was a fierce and hungry beast of prey. “Just the sort of tiger to buy on spec,” said the supercargo, and he bought it. HA WRING THE TREASURE. , When lie arrived at Singapore he set about hawking his treasure. As luck would have it, a wealthy Chinese merchant Heard of the Pahang tiger, and, with the curious ambition of his race, he bought the brute at the supercargo’s own figure. He took it home, cage and all, in a 'cart. Then lie got a chair and filled. Ill's pipe, and sat down with true Chinese self-abstraction to enjoy himself and listen to the roaring. Xoise is not considered a nuisance by the Oriental. Presently the music of the great brute’s hunger song lulled the merchant to sleep—fast asleep. His head lolled forward on his breast, and he snored at the cage of the tiger. This was the last straw in the load of indignity that weighted the unhappy captive’s soul, and with one final and gigantic spasm of anger lie rent hi-s----narrow cage asunder, and made Insway outside of the house. ON THE ROOF. He sprang on top of an adjoining' building. The tiles cracked under his giant paws, and his haunches sagged through the roof. The place was full of Chinese coolies. With an unearthly chorus of terrified yells they picked themselves out of their cots, ami fled like maddened hares. With an equally unearthly and still more horror-inspir-ing roar, the miserable tiger dragged himself out of the hole in the roof and sprang to terra-firma. He found himself in a tiny compound—the backyard as we would call it—of a house in the Chinese quarter. Here he howled hisanguish to the four winds. The inhabitants of the quarter meanwhile rose up like one man and shrieked to the starsA Sikh policeman was meandering at the moment along the outside of thocompound with his rifle loaded, looking for trouble. He took a pot at the tiger. The shot alarmed the town. It was a Roman Catholic anniversary. TheCathedral of the Good Shepherd, close by, was full of worshippers of all breedsaud colors. To them came the echo of the shot and the roars of the wounded tiger, together with the adulations of the multitude. They huddled closer together and redoubled tlie fervor of their prayers. Among them were two Eurasians, who had recently enlisted in the Singapore Rifle Volunteers. They rose from their pews, made their proper genuflections, and rushed out to save the town. THE PURSUIT. Meanwhile, the tiger, hotly pursued by the Sikli policeman, burst into a coolie lodging-house and bid lnmself under a bunk. The coolies fled and never came back. Crowds collected —hordes. Into these,, breathless and .perspiring, _ presently ran the two Portuguese. -Their rifles were loaded to the brim. Chinese crackers were procured and liehted and cas-J; in upon the luckless brute, literally by the million. Shots were fired in' volleys and at random by the volunteers and Sikhs. ' Presently the tiger ceased rearing. His moans ceased. He lay still under the bunk. The door of the house was opened and he was shot at for another ten minutes. Then the Portuguese were ordered to withdraw, while the Sikli trotted off to headquarters to report. In half an hour’s time he returned with an inspector, and the door was again opened. The tiger was by tins time shot to bits. His hide was porous as a fishing net. Nevertheless, the inspector had to shoot him before he could lie declared officially dead. He shot him. Meanwhile a jinrikslia came tearing down the street to the outskirts of tlie crowd, where there-arose a fresh and poignant screaming. “MV tiger! Oh. my tiger!” Fat but- distracted, tbe Chinese merchant was shrieking for the pet he had lost for ever.