26 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



on hunting about after it until bedtime. Eventually, 

 she came into my room with the others and settled 

 down into her basket the sort of round open basket 

 that cooks always use to take to the bazaar and 

 went to sleep. The door was nearly shut and there 

 was a lamp, half turned down, in the room. I woke 

 to see Blaze, with her eyes fixed on mine, looking 

 over the edge of her basket. Of course the dogs 

 often woke when I did and looked up with half an 

 eye for a second ; but this time Blaze was wide awake, 

 and with her eyes steadily fixed on mine, she looked 

 and looked. I rolled over to try and sleep, but was 

 kept awake some time, as I could not help turning 

 to look at her, and her eyes were always on me. 

 Something seemed to be wrong, so I got up and looked 

 to see what it was, but could find nothing. Then I 

 spoke to her, and she understood that it was " Good- 

 night " ; but she did not seem to be satisfied, and her 

 eyes were still fixed anxiously on me when I went 

 to sleep. 



I never saw her again. In the morning there was 

 no trace of her. I do not know whether she went 

 out after the rat again and was snapped up by the 

 hill leopard, or if the creature pushed his way through 

 the front veranda door and quietly took her off, or 

 whether he got her at all, and it was most improb- 

 able that she should be stolen up there. We searched 

 everywhere outside for her collar and jhul rugs the 

 dogs wear on cold nights but never found a trace 

 of them nor of her, and the ground was too hard 

 and rocky outside the bungalow to be able to see 

 any panther footmarks. 



