Lieutenant Novelli is stationed on the frontier with his troops. He is in charge of dynamite. His wife, Hesperia, telephones him that their child is seriously ill and Novelli sacrifices duty and goes home. Meanwhile orders arrive from headquarters to move a large quantity of dynamite, and in the absence of Novelli, his subordinate undertakes to load the shipment. In doing so, a large cask of the explosive is dropped with frightful results to the entire fort, causing the death of a number of officers and men. Novelli is court-martialed and sent from the army. He goes to India, leaving his wife and daughter at the army post, and for some months plunges into the jungle, where his rare marksmanship wins the great admiration of the natives. One day Novelli fires at an Antelope and the beast, after one spasmodic leap into the air, falls dead. This is considered a great feat among the natives and is only eclipsed when Novelli, dropping on one knee, easily shoots a charging water buffalo. The India village is much harassed by the constant depredations of tigers, and the chief, after begging Novelli to remain with them orders his arrest. Novelli hears of the treachery and flees. He is ambushed, however, and only after a desperate battle with the natives, manages to leave the pursuing parties behind. Their great numbers crowd him fast, however, and in desperation, Novelli climbs a tree. The natives having no guns and Novelli, having exhausted his ammunition, it is but a few minutes work to cut the tree, bringing Novelli to the ground in a crush of twigs and branches. He is taken back to the chief's village and when again asked to remain with them in peace, refuses. For this he is sentenced to be burned alive in the center of the village. The fagots are piled high and Novelli is strapped to a post on the top of them. The old chief, who has been ill for some time and is rapidly dying, wishes to join the festivities. After the fagots are lighted, the chief is taken with a violent coughing spell and death threatens. Novelli, above the roar of the flames, cries that if they will loosen his hands, he can save the old chief's life. This he does and the death sentence is temporarily revoked. A large Bengal tiger has been making steady visits to the village and Novelli is asked to dispatch him. Making his place on the back of an elephant, and surrounded by the tribe. Novelli leads the battle. Dismounting from the elephant, Novelli plants himself in the middle of a clear space and sends the tribesmen in to beat the tiger into the open. In a few moments the great head of the beast is seen coming from the underbrush. A second later and the beautiful animal stands in the center of the clearing with tail switching, nostrils expanded, crouched and ready for a leap. As he is about to spring towards Novelli, the marksman fires and the mammoth beast falls to the ground in its death agonies. Later in the day this same performance is repeated and a second monster of the jungle falls before the rifle of the redoubtable Novelli. This animal is skinned before its body has stopped twitching and a beautiful tiger skin marks the trophy of the chase. After these exploits, Novelli is given more freedom about the India village and one night makes a second leap for freedom. This time he takes flight on a horse. Through these months of his exile, Novelli is much loved by Sarama, the Chief's daughter and she ever-watchful, is the first to become aware of his escape and follows madly on another horse. She over-takes Novelli and while traveling at breakneck speed, she leaps from her horse onto the back of Novelli. The additional weight, and the swaying of their bodies, finally throws the two to the ground* Novelli shakes himself loose; leaps upon a horse and resumes the flight. An then a wonderful thing happens. While dashing at breakneck speed under a large tree, the white-clothed figure of a native is seen to shoot down from among the branches, steady itself for an instant by hanging to a lower branch, and throw its legs around the neck of the swift-traveling Novell. , ha tiling the body from the saddle of his horse. Recaptured and back again in the India village, Novelli begins to give up all hope of seeing his wife and child again. Meanwhile many strange things are happening to Hesperia. After making fruitless quests for information of her absent husband, Hesperia with her little daughter, Elsie, finally takes passage on a steamer for India, determined to hunt down her missing husband. On board the big liner in the many idle days that follow, little Elsie made a lasting friend of old Tome, the boat swain, aid then one day came the cry of "Fire". In a moment the big liner was ablaze with flame and pandemonium reigned. All available boats were lowered and Hesperia and her little child was unable to climb into any of them. Men and women leaped into the water in their frantic effort to escape the flames,and Hesperia in desperation, grabbed her little daughter and leaped into the sea. A second later old Tom was seen to plunge head foremost into the water and grab the little girl, and swam with her to shore; Hesperia swimming after them. They drop exhausted on the beach, and after regaining their senses, make their way to an English station on the outskirts of the village where they are cared for and from where a short time after, Hesperia carried out her bold intention of plunging straight into the jungle in search for her husband. Old Tom and Elsie accompanied her. After many weary days, chance lead them into the hands of natives who took them to the Village where Novelli was a prisoner. A happy reunion followed, tinctured with sadness by the grief of Sarama, when she learned that Novelli had neither time nor thought for her. While all of them remained prisoners in the village, another tiger began its depredations. It was planned to capture him alive, so a big ten-foot pit was built and a net dropped into it. Over the top of this, loose branches were placed and a little Lid was tied to them. Some moments later another tiger peered cautiously from the jungle, greedily eyed the twingling kid, and in two great bounds was upon him. The slender twigs gave way and the great beast was precipitated into the bottom of the pit. The natives then released the unharmed Kid and tightly tying the top of the net, made the tiger captive. Sarama then conceived a hideous plan for vengeance. One day while little Elsie was playing in a hut, she loosened the tiger, who made straight for the child. In through the door he dashed and little Elsie shrank against the side of the grass hut. An instant later a shot rang out and the great tiger fell mortally hit. That night Novelli carefully made a dummy likeness of the four members of his party. In the blackness of the Jungle night they crept out of the village, taking three horses with them. They tied the dummies onto the saddles of the horses and sent the beasts scurrying away. When the alarm was sounded in the village, the horses were followed, allowing an unobstructed way for the fugitives. Coming to the top of a high precipice, Hesperia was left alone for a moment with Elsie. She set the child down when suddenly over the top of a hammock appeared one of the natives. He seized the child and started running with her along the top of a daring cliff. Hesperia did not hesitate. At eminent danger of shooting her own child, she fired at the native and he, dropping the child safely, reeled dizzily over the edge of the precipice and was lost. A week later the little party arrived at the English Village where Hesperia had started from and were welcomed by the populace. Little Elsie ever afterward had a playmate in old Tom.
