Can't resist sharing this one - a son of Hastings FRASER (half brother of D'Arcy? unless this is the earlier generation Hastings?) who had a close call with a tiger in India 1888
http://infomotions.com/etexts/gutenberg/dirs/etext03/wbatw10.htmCuthbert FRASER, in the Deccan, District Superindendant of Police in Berar, previously Superintendent of
the Cantonment Police in Secunderabad. Son of of Colonel Hastings Fraser, one of the Frasers of Lovat.
Cuthbert went to inspect a supposedly dead tiger, when said tiger roared and lunged at him from a distance of abt 18 feet. Cuthbert waited until the tiger was about 5 feet away before firing at it. The tiger still did not fall, so a 2nd shot was quickly fired which also failed to stop it.
Though wounded, with one eye shot out, the tiger managed to somehow get hold of Cuthbert and was slobbering all over his face and coat, drawing him in ( no doubt for a kill). But the Tiger then spotted Mr Cuthbert's orderley so let go of Cuthbert and went after the orderley instead and killed him. In the process of all this Cuthbert lost his rifle and ammunition.
As the Tiger was over the poor oderley, crunching his bones and biting at his head, Cuthbert had to pass close by to get another gun off another man nearby. But this man had also shot the Tiger twice to no avail, and had no cartridges left. Eventually they did find another cartridge and tried to recover the body of the orderley but were unable to as the tiger was too close to it (the body).
Cuthbert then sent off for an elephant to be brought from 6 miles away - but the elephant didn't arrive till dark - so himself wounded, had to leave the body that night. The next morning found the Tiger dead, lying close to the orderley whose body they were then able to recover.
Reported in the Secunderabad paper 14th June 1888
Cheers
AMBLY
