THE MAN-EATER OF BELKHERA 137 



of them when satisfied by patient observation that he can 

 do so with comparative impunity, and spreading his de- 

 predations in the human line over wide areas. Between 

 times he must, therefore, fall back on his normal habits 

 feeding on jungle-pigs, village goats, cattle, etc. These 

 habits it is, probably, which make it so difficult to tell 

 whether the real offender has been brought to book. 



One evening in the cold weather a Korku appeared at 

 my bungalow, and informed me that a man from his 

 village, Be"lkhe"ra, had been caught by tiger or shfr t of 

 course while cutting bamboos up the precipitous sides of 

 the Mahadeo khora. He was quite sure that it was a 

 tiger : had seen it looking at him from some rocks, and its 

 pugs were so big spreading out his hands as he spoke 

 so I was equally certain that it was a panther. 



Belkhe'ra is a small Korku village four miles from 

 Junglypur, and at the foot of the hills. It is situated on 

 the banks of a large ndla that runs up for nearly four 

 miles into the heart of the mountains. At the far end of 

 this long deep glen is the aforesaid Mahadeo khdra, or 

 ravine. Nothing therefore could be attempted that night, 

 especially as there was no moon. 



Next morning, however, I rode out to Belkhera, before 

 it was light, and the first streaks of dawn found us half- 

 way up its long glen. It was bitterly cold, and the deep- 

 sunk valley was drenched in heavy dew. The little jungle 

 track lay alternately over the trap boulders of the shrunken 

 stream and through long patches of red rausa grass. To 

 the right and left the hillsides soared almost sheerly up, 

 clothed with bamboo thickets, and thickly dotted with in- 

 numerable salai trees, which at this season were shedding 

 their autumnal-tinted leaves. High over the surrounding 

 spurs the curious pyramid-shaped peak of the Ch6r Pahar 

 (Robbers' Hill) jutted into the sky. Further on, rising to 

 a height of about 3,500 feet, were the twin hilltops of 

 Jhakra, and under them lay the precipice-girdled Mdhadec 



