The Man-eater of Be Ik her a. 59 



act of clambering up another dry waterfall. He clung to 

 the rock just at the top, and was glancing back before spring- 

 ing out of sight beyond it. At this moment I fired. 



The brute slipped, recovered, clung again, and, an in- 

 stant later, disappeared before a second shot could be put in. 



We had a difficult climb out of the ravine ; but I felt 

 sure I had hit the panther, and that I should find him not 

 far away ; and at last we stood looking down on the spot 

 where he had clung and disappeared. With due precautions 

 this place was examined, and, further on, a few drops of 

 blood were found. They led us up and on to a little game- 

 path, continued here and there for about a hundred yards, 

 and then failed. 



Two hours afterwards we gave up the search in despair, 

 and returned to the pool. There, neatly tucked away in the 

 knotted roots of the banyan tree, were the remains of the 

 miserable woodcutter. All his clothes had been stripped 

 off him, and the legs, backs of the thighs, and all soft 

 parts having been eaten and torn away, the corpse present- 

 ed the most ghastly appearance. The head was stiffly bent 

 backwards ; the teeth projected in a frightful grin. Even 

 in life the poor Korku is no beauty. 



The throat of this poor creature bore marks of extra fero- 

 cious treatment, and was simply covered with deep, gaping 

 wounds. A peculiar feature of his injuries was that he had 

 been partially scalped ! 



As may be imagined, I lost little time in getting away 

 from this dreadful spectacle. 



That afternoon I returned, with a number of men, and very 

 thoroughly beat the surrounding ravines and jungle ; but with 

 no greater success. It could only be hoped, therefore, that 

 the man-eater had taken himself off to die in some distant spot. 



