TIGERLAND 



although it was evident from his manner that he had one 

 to tell. 



" ' Well, you fellows,' he exclaimed at length, ' I will 

 tell you a story since you insist on it, but I warn you before- 

 hand that none of you will believe it, nor be able to solve 

 the mystery it contains, any more than I can, and I have 

 tried for years.' 



" With this preface, which naturally increased the 

 curiosity of his audience, he refilled his old battered 

 meerschaum, and lighting it very carefully, commenced 

 this weird and extraordinary tale. 



" ' Towards the close of the year 1858,' he began, 

 4 being then quartered at one of the hill stations in Bengal, 

 I was living with two others, in a furnished house we had 

 rented, an old tumble-down affair, standing by itself, on 

 the summit of a hill. It was a one-storied, double-fronted 

 building, with a broad passage running down the centre, 

 and a large verandah on three sides, on the same level as 

 the rooms, and overhead, between the ceiling and the roof, 

 was a high loft extending over all five rooms. 



" ' The room with which my story is particularly con- 

 cerned was a spare one, at the back of the house, with 

 the door opening into the passage, and two large windows 

 looking on to the verandah. These windows opened in- 

 wards, and were protected by wooden shutters, which were 

 always closed at night. Some three weeks after we had 

 moved into the house, we had a visitor from the plains, 

 a young nephew of mine named Morton, who had come up 

 for a change, and thinking he might feel lonely or nervous 

 in this comparatively isolated room, I suggested he 

 should occupy a small one next mine. However, the 

 youngster, being an extremely matter-of-fact individual, 

 utterly devoid of any nervous fancies, laughed at the 

 idea of being lonely, and was accordingly put into the room. 

 " ' Some days passed, and although at times our visitor 

 appeared at breakfast pale and somewhat distrait, he made 

 no complaints, till one morning he seemed so thoroughly 

 upset and agitated that I could not help remarking on 

 it, when, after much persuasion, he admitted he had passed 

 most restless nights, being always kept awake by what 

 he thought was the night-watchman, walking up and down 

 144 



