" SCARLET-RUNNERS " 101 



by sand-dunes, behind which came a long strip 

 of high grass, or of reeds known as tiger-grass, and 

 behind that was a maidan of short grass backed 

 by dense jungle, bounded by a sluggish smelly 

 khal an ideal place for cheetal and tiger. The 

 sandy shore was covered with numberless small 

 sealing-wax-red crabs such as I had never seen 

 before. Their name I have been unable to ascer- 

 tain. As the crabs ran with amazing rapidity, 

 I at once, with that brilliancy which characterises 

 my every utterance, christened them " scarlet- 

 runners . ' ' The effect of numberless shining scarlet 

 spots on the white sand was beautiful. It was 

 hard to realise that the innocent-looking, placid 

 bay is full of sharks, muggers (crocodiles), and 

 venomous snakes. The bay teems with edible 

 fish; one small, dace-like kind incessantly takes 

 continuous leaps out of the water and frequently 

 jumps into boats. 



Carefully inspecting the ground, I soon came 

 upon tiger pugs and from what I saw I judged that 

 a tiger, tigress, and batcha either lived on or 

 frequented this tongue of land. The ground was 

 next to impossible to beat, but I determined to 

 try. If I allude to what had been done by way of 

 ' helping " me, I do so not in any spirit of angry 

 criticism, but because it may be useful to others 

 to know what not to do. I have rarely seen so 

 much of that " what " in so concentrated a form 

 as on this occasion. The Deputy-Conservator of 

 Forests had, with the best intentions, sent one of 

 his subordinates to " keep the place quiet," and 

 that unfortunate person had done so with a 

 vengeance. L'homme propose, and in this case the 



