A CHAPTER OF NOTHINGS 129 



" I wasn't thinking of making a sketch, but there 

 is a very pretty, cool place under that bamboo and 

 near to the stream; I've never seen such a pretty 

 or more suitable spot, do you think that is where you 

 would like to be buried? ' 



I had not yet thought so far into the future, and 

 besides I have always set my heart on being cremated 

 in fact I have gone so far as to ask my husband to 

 have it done if it is not too expensive, but he has a 

 bad memory and I am sure will forget so conse- 

 quently Ned and I had a few words over the matter. 

 We agreed, however, that his kind and thoughtful 

 (he put in the " kind and thoughtful ") selection 

 was quite passable. 



Oddly enough I felt no pain, ate my dinner and 

 slept as usual, and in the morning took off the remains 

 of scorpion, underneath which there was left a dark 

 red mark, rather swollen. 



To return ; we were starting to tie up a bait one 

 evening when on passing a village some cowmen 

 called out to us to come. They had been driving 

 their cattle home, when the herd shied away from a 

 clump of bushes and bolted off ; when the men went 

 to find out the cause they saw a dead panther lying 

 stretched out. It was only just dead, almost warm 

 and had not begun to stiffen, and it had a great 

 many maggots about it ; there were long wounds and 

 many scars on the body also full of maggots. On 

 skinning it we could find no bullet holes, and the 

 shikari said it must have been attacked by a tiger. 

 I told the Forest Officer afterwards about it and in a 



letter he said that it must have been a tiger that 

 K 



