Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 174, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 July 1910 — BETTER THAN GUN [ARTICLE]

BETTER THAN GUN

WHEN SNUFF PROVED VALUABLE' J WEAPON OF DEFENSE. ’< British Army Officer Is Lucky In Be-' Ing Able to Relate Story of Almost" Fatal Adventure in India. Perhaps no man’s life was ever saved to him by a more curious circumstance than that attending the experience of a captain of the Bengal lancers. He had been on a visit to a civilian friend In Rajputapa and went out for a walk in the country about sunset. After going four or five miles he found himself In a narrow path on the side of a steep hill. The path was a mere ledge In the rock, with a deep chasm on one side and a wall of solid rock on the other. It was not a pleasant place in which to come face to face with a big tiger; but that was just what happened to the captain. It was too late to withdraw,* so he determined to brave It out. The animal had evidently been asleep; for it continued for a fpw moments to lick itself into full wakefulness. The captain’ stood still, with his eyes fixed on the beast Presently the tiger took a few steps forward and made a dash at him. Luckily its teeth seized him by the flap of the coat, jiist over the breast, so that he was not hurt by the blow. Then the captain had a chance to appreciate *the feelings of a mouse when it Is shaken by a cat. The tl*ger shook him till his senses left him. Perhaps it was as well they did leave him, for the beast held him over the deep chasm and a fall would have been as fatal as the animal's onslaught. When the captain recovered consciousness, a few minutes later, he found himself lying flat on his back, with his feet dangling over the precipice. He opened bls eyes, only to see the sky above him. He dared not move, for the tiger might be close at his elbow. So he shut fils eyes and remained motionless. Then he thought he heard a strange noise at a little distance, a sound as ! of somebody sneezing. His first thought was that some one had come to the rescue and beaten the tiger off, but this was proved to be wrong by low, disagreeable, tigerish growls mingled with the sneezing. He turned slowly. He could hardly believe his eyes. There was the tiger slinking off with his tall between his legs and sneezing violently as he went, his face distorted by most plte* ous grimaces. The trut£ then dawned upon the soldier. In shaking him the tiger had caused his snuffbox to fly open out of his waistcoat pocket and had received the contents full In the face.