76 HOURS WITH NATURE. 



forage at night were preparing to make excursions to 

 happy hunting grounds, and we wished them good luck. 

 There was a spotted-owl quite near; Janardan heard 

 its characteristic hooting, and stopped to ascertain the 

 wherabouts of the bird, which, from its safe arboreal 

 retreat, watched, with no pious intention, a pair of field 

 mice that were disporting themselves in the seclusion 

 of a bushy tuft of spear grass. Perched on a high grassy 

 bund of a mulberry field, the Bharat-paskhi (Sky-lark) 

 twittered its closing song, rising every time into the 

 air as it sang. The greedy Brown strike was casting 

 a longing look upon a beetle which crept up 

 the stem of a small castor plant. It made a dart, 

 secured the prey, and pecked at it with much vicious 

 energy, till the poor little thing was dead, and fit to 

 devour. With a plough and harrow upon his shoulder, 

 driving a team of sleek bullocks before him, and enjoy- 

 ing every now and then a pull from his hooka came 

 Faraji Sheik, a small, but substantial farmer. " Sd/dm 

 Bawaji " he accosted Janardan, but Janardan heard him 

 not, stared this way and that, and looked confused. 

 Though a great friend of Janardan's, and having much 

 respect for his piety and integrity, Faraji Sheik did not 

 understand his friend's character in all its aspects, and 

 believed, in common with other people of the neighbour- 

 hood that Janardan was a great, but harmless, sorcerer. 

 His notion about his friend's sorcery received a sin- 

 gular confirmation when a parrot came fluttering 

 and sat upon Janardan's shoulder, and began rubbing 



