FAILURES 235 



calves, used as baits, died, and Jiwan grew thinner 

 every day and had constant fever. I shot a peacock 

 so that he might have some soup, but I think he 

 was too ill to eat. The monotony was broken one 

 evening by a bear visiting the camp; it came close 

 up to the cook-house and Nanur came running to 

 fetch me, but by the time I got there some clever 

 man had lighted a flaring torch, to show me the 

 bear ! he said ; in reality he was so much frightened 

 he dare not wait in the dark until I came, so of 

 course the glare had driven the bear away. 



We managed to tie up for the tiger once more 

 when the shikari was sufficiently recovered. I sat 

 in a tree all night and a violent storm came on, so 

 that I had to pull a rug over me and put a water- 

 proof sheet on the top, quite covering me and a 

 multitude of sins, and I slept. Invariably I wake 

 at the first streak of dawn when sleeping under the 

 sky, but because I had this wretched rug over my 

 head I slept ten minutes too long. A distant noise 

 woke me, I think it was the rumble of a cart on the 

 road not far away. I sat up and there was the tiger, 

 who seemed to have just come to the kill. He also, 

 I think, had heard the cart, as he was standing 

 looking in its direction; he was gone before I could 

 get hold of the rifle, and it was all my own stupid 

 fault. 



When so many things went wrong I had to con- 

 sole myself with the thought of some philosopher's 

 story I forget who of ancient days, which ran 

 something like this : All the people in a certain 

 country were suffering under so many troubles that 



