“I knew of two Chinese who were deer hunting on a mountain-side when a large tiger was routed from his bed.  The beast made a rushing attack on the man standing nearest to the path of his retreat, and seizing him by the leg dragged him into the ravine below.  Luckily the man succeeded in grasping a small tree whereupon the tiger released his hold, leaving his victim lying upon the ground almost paralyzed with pain and fear.

“A group of men were gathering fuel on the hills near Futsing when a tiger which had been sleeping in the high grass was disturbed.  The enraged beast turned upon the peasants, killing two of them instantly and striking another a ripping blow with his paw which sent him lifeless to the terrace below.  The beast did not attempt to drag either of its victims into the bush or to attack the other persons near by.

“The strength and vitality of a full grown tiger are amazing.  I had occasion to spend the night a short time ago in a place where a tiger had performed some remarkable feats.  Just at dusk one of these marauders visited the village and discovered a cow and her six-months-old calf in a pen which had been excavated in the side of a hill and adjoined a house.  There was no possible way to enter the enclosure except by a door opening from the main part of the dwelling or to descend from above.  The tiger jumped from the roof upon the neck of the heifer, killing it instantly, and the inmates of the house opened the door just in time to see the animal throw the calf out bodily and leap after it himself.  I measured the embankment and found that the exact height was twelve and a half feet.

“The same tiger one noon on a foggy day attacked a hog, just back of the village and carried it into the hills.  The villagers pursued the beast and overtook it within half a mile.  When the hog, which dressed weighed more than two hundred pounds, was found, it had no marks or bruises upon it other than the deep fang wounds in the neck.  This is another instance where courage failed a tiger after he had made off with his kill to a safe distance.  The Chinese declare that when carrying such a load a tiger never attempts to drag its prey, but throws it across its back and races off at top speed.

“The finest trophy taken from Fukien Province in years I shot in May, 1910.  Two days previous to my hunt this tiger had killed and eaten a sixteen-year-old boy.  I happened to be in the locality and decided to make an attempt to dispose of the troublesome beast.  Obtaining a mother goat with two small kids, I led them into a ravine near where the boy had been killed.  The goat was tied to a tree a short distance from the lair, and the kids were concealed in the tall grass well in toward the place where the tiger would probably be.  I selected a suitable spot and kneeled down behind a bank of ferns and grass.  The fact that one may be stalked by the very beast which one is hunting adds to the excitement and keeps one’s nerves on edge.  I expected that the tiger would approach stealthily as long as he could not see the goat, as the usual plan of attack, so far as my observation goes, is to creep up under cover as far as possible before rushing into the open.  In any case the tiger would be within twenty yards of me before it could be seen.