354 THE HIGHLANDS OF CENTRAL INDIA. 



"Yes," said he, "but I didu't mucli fancy it, as it 

 stinks abominably, and, besides, I don't care to have 

 more to do with ghosts than I can help, after what 

 liappened to Padam Singh, Thdkiir of Ponhri." 



With much pressing, I got him to tell me this 

 wonderful tale, which was much as follows : — ** The 

 village of Ponhri, about thirty coss from here, was 

 haunted a few years ago by a perfect shitan of a man- 

 eatiug tiger. lie was very old and very cunning. 

 There were two ghats that led from the village to the 

 open country, and on the hill between these he used to 

 live. Whenever he saw any persons leave the village, 

 he would rush across to the ghat they selected, and 

 wayhiy them there ; springing out with a roar, and 

 carrying off one of the party like a flash of lightning. 

 Often did the people of the village see him thus stalking 

 some wretched traveller, and sometimes were in time to 

 warn him to take to a tree ; but still oftener the monster 

 was too cunning for them, and approached his victim in 

 the stealthy manner only a man-eater can. He some- 

 times left his post for a few^ days, and w^as then sure to 

 be heard of at some one of the surrounding villages at 

 his old tricks. The road by Ponhri was soon completely 

 blocked up, and no one would pass that way, although 

 it was the high-road to several large villages. The tiger 

 soon became straitened for food, as, having become con- 

 firmed in his taste for human flesh, he could now eat no 

 other ; so he took to frequenting the outskirts of the 

 villaire, and tw^o or three times stalked the Aheers, who 

 were driving home their cattle, up to the very doors. 

 The buffaloes, how^evcr, which you know^ do not in the 

 least fear a tiger when in a body, always discovered him 

 and drove him off before he could do any mischief. 

 Thus repeatedly baffled, the man-eater conceived the 



