68 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. 



clearer: its upraised hand with the stiffened fingers seemed 

 stretched out in mute appeal against the indignity of tbe 

 cord that bound it to the tree. Just a hand, a glistening, 

 bedewed head and trunk, and, lower down Ugh ! 



The faint crow of a jungle-cock came across the grey 

 depths of the valley. t)a\vn had come, and the man-eater 

 had escaped again. 



***** 



About six weeks later, I was coming down from the hills 

 on my way home from an unsuccessful search for sambar ; 

 having ordered my mare to Belkhera. As Abbas Khan and 

 I descended the foot-hills and approached the village, we 

 became aware of some unusual stir among the huts, from 

 which there arose a ceaseless screaming some death, no 

 doubt. I had placed my foot in the stirrup, and was vault- 

 ing into the saddle, when a Korku came running up. Once 

 more had the panther taken toll of Belkhera ! 



A buffalo-herd had been seized, while grazing his cattle 

 near the little river, not far from the village. The buffa- 

 loes had driven off the brute, and the man had been res- 

 cued ; only however to expire in the village, whither he 

 had been borne. The panther had retreated into the 

 hills. 4 



I asked to see the victim of this latest outrage, and was 

 led down the central "street " of the Korku village. The cow- 

 herd was lying on a charpai, just as he had died ; some vein 

 in the neck had been severed ; and, in spite of a rough 

 bandage, a dark patch of blood was congealing on the 

 ground under the string bedstead. There were the usual 

 deep holes in the throat and on the nape of the neck, and 

 the Belkhera man-eater's mark was there ! A long strip 

 of skin and hair had been torn off and hung from the dead 

 man's scalp ! 



