xn MARRIED AND A RUN OF LUCK 143 



his electric light, which we intended fixing for use 

 after dark. The ground rose sheer behind us, 

 the wind too was more in our favour than it 

 proved to be over any other kill (and in the three 

 weeks we sat over many). I think there is nothing 

 so wearisome as an all-night sitting over a kill 

 for a tiger that never comes. Despite all that 

 was propitious, the only sound that gave us a 

 momentary palpitation was a mongoose which 

 swore loudly at us ; and two tired-out men returned 

 next morning to the forest lodge, where I, any- 

 way, slept like a log, after our 9 o'clock breakfast. 



It would be too tedious to give details of all 

 the kills that took place. We counted seven, and 

 we sat up over four of them, each for two nights 

 in succession, without any result. 



We got the blue funks one night when perched 

 in a none too thick tree growing on the side of a 

 very steep hill. A raging thunder-storm broke 

 and we heard one tree crash close beside us. As 

 the situation became risky, neither B. nor myself 

 being featherweights, we fired off our guns at 

 midnight to attract our shikaris, but of course 

 they did not hear us, so they said ! 



My friend B. fortified himself with an occasional 

 pull at his flask. "Beastly stuff," he remarked, 

 and said he would never bring it again, but I 

 fancy he felt more confidence than I did when 

 an unusually strong blast threatened to cork- 

 screw our tree from its roots. 



Before I come to the pith of my story I must 

 say a word about B. He was geniality intensified. 

 I hope he won't mind my mentioning his age — 

 71 years this month. I only hope I may have 



