AN ATTEMPTED BURGLARY PREVENTED 



specimen of horse-flesh about twelve hands high, which 

 the village magnate, a recently made convert, had pre- 

 sented him. 



As I bid this extraordinary zealot adieu, I little guessed 

 the fate that was in store for him, for some years later long 

 after I had left the district I read of his death in the 

 papers, describing how while riding home one night, he had 

 been carried off by a man-eater and devoured, possibly the 

 very one we had discussed. 



Continuing my inspectional progress through the district, 

 I arrived in due course at the northern extremity, bordering 

 on the independent territory of Nepaul, where I halted for 

 some days to confer with the Nepaulese authorities in 

 pursuance of a co-operative crime-prevention scheme I had 

 in view. My camp was pitched about a mile from the 

 frontier, and the boundary line being merely marked by 

 pillars, without any river or other natural obstruction, the 

 bad characters residing on the other side had easy access 

 into British territory, where they committed burglaries 

 and, recrossing the frontier with their spoil, were safe 

 from pursuit. 



One bright moonlight night while asleep in my tent, I 

 was awakened by the moon shining on to my face, and saw 

 that the corner of the tent, close to my bed, was open, and 

 my portmanteau gliding, apparently of its own accord, in 

 the direction of the opening. No sooner had I recovered 

 from my surprise, than, guessing what was happening, 

 I seized my revolver, and jumping quickly out of bed, 

 rushed out through the door of the tent, just in time to 

 see the naked figure of a man disappearing into some jungle. 

 I called to him to stop, but, as I might have known, 

 receiving no reply, fired two shots at him, fortunately, 

 perhaps, without any effect, for although I was probably 

 justified in firing, had I killed or wounded him, there might 

 have been some trouble later. 



I left the following day on my way back to the station, 

 and while halted at one of my encampments en route was 

 visited by an European " zemindar " * residing in the 



neighbourhood an ancient individual, named H , well 



known in the district as the oldest European inhabitant, 



* Landholder. 



231 



