SEARCH FOR THE MAN-EATER. 299 



was some distance away, and there was not time before nightfall for a party 

 to search for the man, whose being still alive was not known. 



Next morning the lacerated wretch was found. In his mangled state 

 he had been unable to release himself; he was moaning and hanging almost 

 head downwards amongst the creepers ; and he died soon after he was 

 taken down. 



Before long the tigress visited my camp, but fortunately without doing 

 any mischief. Close to my tent (my bungalow was not built then) was a 

 large banian-tree : every night a fire was kindled near it, and here I sat 

 and discussed plans for work or sport with my men. One morning when 

 the trackers came to wake me early, they found the man-eater's tracks lead- 

 ing down a path close to the banian-tree in question. As we thought she 

 might still be on our side of the river, I accompanied the men to examine 

 its vicinity, and to ascertain if she had recrossed it towards the hills ; if 

 not, we intended to hunt the different covers on its banks during the day. 



Upon reaching the river we walked down the sandy bed overshadowed 

 by drooping hongay (the Indian beech, Pongamia glabra) trees. The scene 

 at early morning was very pleasant. Gaudy kingfishers fluttered and 

 poised over the pools and shallow runs of clear water into which the river 

 — a considerable stream in the rains — had now shrunk. At a bend we 

 came upon a troop of lungoor monkeys (Presbytis priamus) feeding upon 

 some fallen fruit ; these ran nimbly across the sand to the sanctuary of the 

 large trees when we appeared. In one stretch a spotted stag and several 

 graceful hinds were drinking at the cool stream, perchance admiring their 

 shapely forms in nature's mirror ; but for the nonce they passed unheeded. 

 The soothing cooing of doves, the scream of the toucan, the cheery and 

 game cry of the jungle-cock (Gallus sonneratii) perched aloft, whilst his 

 ladies ruffled themselves in the sand below, combined to make one of 

 those tranquil phases of beauty in nature which are such a contrast to 

 the wildness and grandeur of other scenes. 



The trackers moved quickly and silently along. We passed two or three 

 pugs, but these elicited no notice, except one into which Dod Sidda drove 

 the butt-end of his spear without a word ; this was the night's track of the 

 tigress to our side of the river. We had nearly got to the temple, below 

 which it was not likely she would have crossed, and were in hopes of not 

 finding her out-going trail, when a single track across an unblemished 

 stretch of sand caused an exclamation of disappointment, and one glance 

 showed it to be the unmistakable small oval pug of the man-eater. We 

 felt our chances of finding her that day were very small, but there was 

 nothing like trying ; so sending for an elephant to come to the temple and 



