TIGERLAND 



I did not at the moment realize what was happening, 

 but learnt later that the lake was full of weeds, which the 

 man by turning too suddenly had twisted round his legs, 

 binding them together. However, I soon made out that 

 something was amiss, so running quickly back, I sat down 

 and tried to pull off my boots, intending to swim out to 

 him. Unfortunately, they were high Wellingtons, and, 

 already wet through, baffled all my efforts to remove them. 



Meanwhile, the unfortunate man, after struggling once 

 more to the surface, finally disappeared. I now told the 

 other coolie as well as I was able, to run quickly to the village 

 for assistance, and that I would go round the lake and fetch 

 the other sahib. The man went off at once, and, as we 

 afterwards discovered, told the villagers that I had 

 drowned his comrade ! However, he had apparently 

 understood my message, for when we returned half an hour 

 later we found the body had been recovered. I asked the 

 doctor whether he thought it would be possible to revive 

 it, but, on hearing it had been under about forty minutes, 

 he said it would be useless to attempt to do so, and as the 

 villagers were now crowding round us with threatening 

 looks and gestures, we thought it advisable to get back to 

 the camp. 



But, as we turned to go, one of the crowd a big, burly 

 individual caught me by the sleeve, and in words and 

 signs gave me to understand that while the other sahib 

 might go, I was to be taken to the lake and thrown into it 

 in the same place where the coolie had been drowned ! 

 I freed myself from his grasp, and, instinctively throwing 

 up my gun, pointed it at his head, when the doctor caught 

 hold of my arm, nearly sending off the piece, and called 

 out 



" Don't fire, or we shall both be murdered." 

 " I am not going to fire, and only meant to frighten him," 

 I replied ; then asked him in a whisper whether his gun 

 was loaded. 



" No," he answered. " I fired off both barrels at a 

 snipe just before I met you." 



" Never mind," I continued, " they do not know this, 

 and probably think both our guns are loaded, so unless 

 they take to stoning us we may get back all safe." 

 20 



