A CENTRAL PROVINCE TIGER 135 



no sign of the bail and made out that he had dis- 

 appeared. Then they came in quickly with the news. 



" It's a panther," I said. 



" No, sahib, we are certain it is a tiger." 



" But it is much more likely to be a panther, 

 to come so soon and to be so bold when you had 

 scarcely come away I " 



But no, they were convinced it was certainly a 

 tiger. Lai Singh, the forest guard, the village 

 kotwal and I talked it over. They said it would be 

 best to send the men back to the jungle, telling them 

 to call at one or two villages on the way and arrange 

 for coolies to beat and be in readiness early next 

 morning. Meanwhile, we would bring along a 

 contingent from a village near camp and our own 

 men. So off the party went. I thought, perhaps, 

 as every one knew of our plans the day before we 

 might make an early start, about ten o'clock; but 

 one knows the ways of the native, and I was not 

 surprised when nobody turned up next morning. 



I sent out again to tell the men to come at once 

 and promised that they should be back for their 

 dinner. 



They were generally willing to beat in this district 

 and they beat fairly well, but now they waited to 

 eat their long, leisurely midday meal and then came 

 straggling into camp. 



In the cold weather the days are short and I was 

 getting rather sad about the whole affair. With 

 six miles to go, it began to seem a hopeless chance 

 of arriving before sundown. 



The headman hustled thirty men out of our 



