THE MAN-EATER OF BELKHERA 143 



My orderly and I got into our greatcoats and rugs for 

 it was to be a cold night and settled into the semblance 

 of two stone figures. 



When the last faint flush following sunset had died 

 away, the jungle grew very dark and intensely quiet. A 

 few stars showed themselves over the head of the hill that 

 reared up blackly into the vault of the sky far above us. 

 Down in the valley behind night-birds called at rare 

 intervals. In the machdn, however, all was still. Not a 

 sound came from the hillsides. 



About half an hour after this a distant rustle was heard 

 uphill. Then it stopped. A few minutes later Abbds 

 KMn touched my foot. Some heavy animal was coming 

 quite boldly down the hillside. Then came a faint deep 

 breath close under the tree in which we were sitting ! My 

 heart thumped heavily. I opened my mouth to breathe 

 less noisily. 



There was something moving stealthily near the foot of 

 our tree ; but only the faintest of sounds came when a 

 stone turned slowly. We were right between *;he animal 

 and the spot where the corpse lay bound to its sapling. 

 Would it pass under us and give me a chance on the patch 

 of bran ? Hours seemed to pass ! 



A stick cracked in quite another direction on the other 

 side of the grisly " kill." Very slowly I turned myself in 

 that direction, and strained my eyes on the faintly yellow 

 strip of bran with that misshapen dark blotch in the 

 centre of it. 



All movement appeared to have ceased. Probably the 

 panther was sitting, waiting, watching, and would presently 

 creep forward to seek his abominable food. 



In this state we sat on for an apparently immense period 

 of time. I noted that the Pleiades, instead of hanging 

 over the dark crest of the Ch6r Pahdr, were now high 

 above my head. A large green-coloured star had just 

 risen over the trees in the distance. I slipped a supporting 



