THE BIOGRAPHY OF A TIGER 37 



shadows, and watched the twinkling village fires. Then 

 the Korkus' evening meal was completed, the fires died 

 down, silence reigned supreme ; and as he began to prowl 

 round close to the huts, his questing voice rose incon- 

 tinently on the night air 



"Auiigh-hd! Auhgh-hd ! Aungh-h&!" repeated six or 

 seven times consecutively, and followed by silence for 

 some minutes before the deep call again grated forth. 



In the village somebody yelled, and waved a firebrand ; 

 but the disappointed tiger continued his famished per- 

 ambulations undeterred, and the watcher fell asleep. 



In the jungle immediately west of Sirisban the stony 

 ravine curves round under mossy old wide-branching 

 mango trees, and here is the rude village well. As the 

 young tiger approached this spot on his hungry prowl he 

 suddenly halted, and slowly sank down apparently into 

 the very ground. In that dark glade the keenest human 

 eye would have distinguished nothing save perhaps an 

 indefinite suggestion of something vaguely white, but the 

 tiger's acute senses had at once acquainted him with the 

 surprising but delightful fact that a white heifer no doubt 

 overlooked in the confusion that evening and now playing 

 truant was standing there under the trees by the little 

 pathway. Some rocks and a low bank separated him from 

 the little cow ; and, crouching very slowly, he now lay 

 flattened out on his belly, intently contemplating his pros- 

 pective meal. The heifer stood on, unconscious of any 

 impending harm. 



At last a paw of the stalker went out, with infinite 

 caution ; and remained there. Very slowly indeed another 

 followed and passed it. And thus, inch by inch, paw by 

 paw, each advanced in turn with almost inconceivable 

 stealth, a grey shadow, a mere suggestion of shape, began 

 to creep along under the tiny bank. So slowly did it 

 travel, this phantom form only a few inches in height, that 

 it was only after long intervals of time that it seemed to 



