A RICKETY HAMMOCK 191 



ing, but I could not better it. The moon was not 

 good either, it was half moon and would set about 

 midnight. 



It was a most interesting night. I settled myself 

 in the hammock before sunset, and the shikari and 

 forest guard went off. At twilight all the various 

 jungle noises began : sounds that every one accus- 

 tomed to this sort of life knows so well. The frogs 

 near a tiny pool in the nullah were croaking, and 

 the nightjar making its curious call; the peafowl 

 were saying a noisy good-night to each other, and 

 there was a monotonous and melancholy owl also 

 saying a good many things in a drowsy way, and in 

 the same tone of voice. A few things came and 

 wandered about below; it was almost too dark to 

 see, but I think it was first a mongoose that came 

 and then two deer. The outline of the kill grew 

 fainter and fainter and the stars came out. By the 

 time that I can count five stars on a moonless night 

 I know it is time to give up and go home, as being 

 no longer able to see anything. There was nothing 

 but silence for a long time after this, and to go 

 back to material, but perhaps necessary things, I 

 was dining and my mouth was full of bread, a bit I 

 had quietly broken off, when I heard soft velvet 

 treading steps coming down the bank of the wide 

 nullah opposite, and saw the faint shadow of some 

 animal coming on into the moonlight, but only into 

 the moonlight for a step or two, and then under the 

 dark shadow of heavy trees, but it was in the moon- 

 light long enough to see that it was the tiger. He 

 went towards the place where he had hidden his 



