The Man-eater of Belkhera. 67 



Morning could not be far off. A faint breeze rustled the 

 tree-tops, and some bamboos creaked uneasily. 



Until now not a sound had been heard to indicate the 

 return of the panther, but at last I fancied that the faintest 

 sound of breathing had been borne to my ears. Every 

 sense was instantly at acutest tension. My orderly was 

 breathing through his nose. I leant slowly back, and, press- 

 ing his knee, uttered a faint sh sh ! 



The topmost branches of a neighbouring salai tree qui* 

 vered. Was it the wind ? No ; the air was now quite stilk 



There was something shaking that tree. Its branches 

 moved again just the tips that were outlined against the 

 faintly luminous sky. 



What with the cold and the suspense, I seemed to be shak- 

 ing the whole machdn. My throat was painfully dry. The 

 effort to swallow made a fearful noise. I wanted to cough. 



Something whitish or greyish seemed to be climbing 

 close to the trunk of the salai tree : it moved ! 



"Mdrof " breathed the Pathan. 



I gently, slowly, raised the gun to my shoulder, shaking 

 with anxiety, and straining my eyes in the darkness. 

 Nothing could now be seen. It must have been imagination T 



The tree quivered again ; a faintly whitish patch was very, 

 very slowly elongating itself, and becoming more distinct. 

 I got it well between the ears of my night-sight ..... 



Bang! 



As the sound of the shot went rolling and reverberating 

 through the hills, something sprang lightly off through the 

 grass. 



* # # * * 



Dawn was surely breaking ? Objects stood out more 

 distinctly, and the faintest greenish hue appeared in the 

 sky. The dark outline of the old woman's cadaver became 



