Wyoming Weekly Republican

Into a Pit.

Among the natives of India deer, wild hogs, and tigers are secured by pitfalls, traps, and other snares. The pitfall is a deep, well-like pit, broader at the bottom than at the top, and is placed in a path frequented by animals. A single stake, and sometimes two stakes, with the protruding points hardened by fire, are planted upright in the bottom of the pit, that the falling animal may be impaled thereon.

Over the opening small branches are cunningly woven, and the surrounding area is strewed with a loose layer of leaves so that there may be the appearance of a jungle path. These pits are dangerous, and sometimes a cow, or even a man, falls a victim. Mr. Inglis describes in "Tent Life in Tigerland" his first introduction to one of these dangerous holes.

One morning he went out with his pony and gun, and accompanied by his syce. He halted the pony near the edge of this jungle, and having seen several pea-fowl among some growing barley, he told the syce to lead the horse along the skirt of the forest, while he would enter the underwood, which the pea-fowl would seek as soon as they were disturbed.

After he had shot several birds, he saw a spotted deer, accompanied by several kinds of fawns. He followed on the trail and was soon deep in the forests, and out of sight and hearing of his syce. Soon a noble buck showed his antlered head. A bullet through his neck toppled him over. He struggled to his feet, but another bullet settled him.

The sportsman "coo-eed" loudly to his syce, but getting no answer he disemboweled the deer, cut down a sapling, tied his handkerchief to it, stuck it in the ground beside his quarry, shouldered his gun, and set off in quest of man and pony.

While walking in a jungle path he suddenly felt the ground receding from his feet; his body was thrown forward; his gun, jerked out of his grip, fell in front and exploded as it fell. Instinctively he grasped the situation, and in fear lest there might be a pointed stake in the pit he drew his feet together and muttered a prayer.

A crackling of dry twigs, a cloud of dust and withered leaves, a swift descent, sudden darkness, and he found himself at the bottom of a pitfall, having slid right between two pointed stakes.

The jagged end of a branch ripped a portion of skin off one cheek. One stake grazed his back and tore his shirt, and the other was but a few inches from his chin. A cold sweat followed his realization of his narrow escape.

He felt like a caged rat and could hardly wriggle free of the stakes. The inward-inclining wall made escape impossible without help from above. But his syce had heard the report of the gun and came to the rescue, and by means of the pony's reins and stirrup-leathers soon extricated the prisoner.