TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



They soon lighted a fire, and by means of hot bricks 

 and much vigorous rubbing, we eventually brought the 

 woman round, for she was very nearly gone. However, 

 once she was restored to consciousness, she was not long 

 in making use of the faculties she had regained, though not 

 exactly in the manner I expected. 



Getting up on to her feet, she first shook herself just 

 as a spaniel does when it lands after retrieving from the 

 water, then, to my amazement, turned on me, using every 

 abusive epithet she could think of, till her vocabulary 

 being apparently exhausted, she went off. 



The reason for this extraordinary, and seemingly un- 

 provoked attack upon me was, I discovered afterwards, 

 that, intending to commit suicide, she had thrown herself 

 into the river, hence, so far from being grateful to me for 

 having rescued her, she was exceedingly annoyed at what 

 she probably considered my unwarrantable interference. 

 Whether she eventually succeeded in accomplishing her 

 object, I cannot say, but I noticed that when she went 

 away it was not in the direction of the river ! Possibly 

 she had found drowning as a mode of self-destruction not 

 so enjoyable as she had probably imagined it to be. 



I have now come to the period of my service when, on 

 the retirement of Colonel Probyn and the appointment 



of his successor, Colonel W , as District Superintendent 



of Police, I, though still an Assistant Superintendent, was, 

 at the recommendation of the former, appointed in addition 

 as permanent Bhil Agent, which office also included, as I 

 have before stated, that of Tiger Slayer. 



Somewhere about this time, too, the Bombay Govern- 

 ment, thinking it desirable that the Bhil Agent should 

 live absolutely among the Bhils, a place called Nundobar 

 was fixed upon as my headquarters, where an old mosque, 

 on the summit of a hill, was converted into a bungalow. 



This old building had the reputation of being haunted, 

 and once on my return from tour I found my orderly, who 

 had been left in charge, in a semi-conscious condition, 

 his teeth clenched and presenting all the appearance of 

 having suffered some severe mental shock. 

 66 



