The Man-eater of Belkhera. 61 



up-hill, having been actually seated tearing at his prey when 

 disturbed. One of the Korkus, having been employed by 

 me previously on my excursions in these hills, had the pre- 

 sence of mind to persuade his companions to leave the body 

 as it lay and send for me. A bungle however was made, 

 and I did not get the news until next day at 2 o'clock. 



Shortly after 4 o'clock I was walking up the Belkhera 

 glen. As I turned a corner I came on a number of the vil- 

 lagers, among whom sat two native policemen, solemnly 

 taking down the evidence of the panchdyat which had just 

 been held on the corpse of the ill-fated woman. Here I 

 learnt that during the night the panther had returned, and 

 dragged the body of his victim far up the hillside. Of 

 course, as usual, it was a bdgh an enormous tiger with 

 paws so big, &c. but I had discovered the pugs of a large 

 panther close to the stream by this time. After a talk, in 

 order to discover how the land lay, my Pathan orderly and 

 I, led by a guide, proceeded to climb the hill, followed by 

 men with kulharis (small hatchets) and rope. 



The man-eater had removed the corpse about five hundred 

 feet up the hillside ; and being guided to the spot and 

 ascertaining, by creeping quietly in, that he was not in the 

 immediate vicinity, I found it poked away under a small 

 bamboo clump. Its appearance was still more horrible 

 than that of the Korku killed the previous year, but some- 

 how not so revolting, the remains bearing small resem- 

 blance to humanity. The entire lower half of the body had 

 been devoured, with the exception of the shins and feet ; 

 the knee-joints had been crunched apart like the knuckle- 

 bones of a chicken, and lay twisted out of all semblance to 

 human shape ; one arm had been chewed ; and the other lay 

 extended, with the pewter bracelets still encircling the 

 withered old wrists. 



