A HAUNTED HOUSE. 13 



lighted, after flying a short distance, I followed it up. This 

 time, when it rose, it flew off unencumbered. On examining 

 the spot from whence it had last risen, I found its half -fledged 

 offspring on the ground, where it had been left by the parent 

 bird. The "chuckor" (very like the red-legged partridge) 

 also afforded good sport on the broken bushy slopes around 

 the Shore valley. 



On the evening of my arrival I had been dining with the 

 officer commanding the outpost, who was then the solitary 

 European resident at the place, and any of his contempo- 

 raries in the Bengal Presidency who may chance to read this, 

 will wot how well and amusingly I was entertained by my 

 host, poor Frank Grossman, who has long since joined the 

 " majority." When bidding me " good-night," he laughingly 

 expressed a hope that I might not be disturbed in the house 

 where I had taken up my quarters, as it was reputed to be 

 haunted. There certainly was a deserted, dismal look about 

 the place, which was anything but inviting. Long rank grass 

 and weeds grew in great profusion around it, and the walls, 

 which in many parts were falling to decay, were green with 

 damp and moss. Within a few yards of the house there stood 

 an old dilapidated tomb, which, report said, had been dese- 

 crated by some ruffians who had exhumed the corpse interred 

 long ago beneath it, in search of plunder. There were many 

 other queer stories concerning the locality, one of them being 

 of a quondam occupant of the house having, in a fit of " D.T.," 

 committed suicide there ; possibly the individual buried under 

 the ruined monument. Altogether, from its lonely situation, 

 the supernatural tales concerning it, its general woe-begone 

 appearance, which was augmented by some funereal-looking 

 pine- trees that grew hard by, and the fact of the natives being 

 loath to visit it after nightfall, it might indeed have been con- 

 sidered a ghostly sort of place. 



Not being of a superstitious turn of mind, I thought little 

 more about the reputation of my abode; and, being rather 



