96 THE HUNTING GROUNDS 



clapping their hands on their thighs as they sat on 

 their heels, smacking their lips and uttering some 

 curious grunting sentences to each other, which 



neither M , myself, nor any of our people could 



understand. Towards evening they appeared to 

 have gained more confidence, and I made one of 

 the servants unfasten the old woman. He had 

 hardly done so, when, finding herself at liberty, she 

 gave herself a shake like a dog on coming out of 

 the water, and with a grunt and a yell sprang into 

 the jungle before any of our people could stop her. 

 Finding, however, that the child which was stiU fas- 

 tened, did not follow her, she returned, and again 

 crouched down by its side. I made the people take 

 no further notice of them, and gave her more sugar, 

 which she took and ate without hesitation. She 

 now seemed to have made up her mind that we did 

 not intend to do her any harm, for she began to 

 examine us more closely, and even to finger our 

 clothes, which she must have imagined to be of 

 Nature's own providing, for she slunk back alarmed 



when she saw M pull off his cap, as if she 



thought his head would have followed. At dusk we 

 were all sitting round an immense log-fire. The 

 usual glass of rackee and allowance of tobacco had 

 been distributed to each of the gang, and we were 

 discussing the prospect of the morrow's sport, for 

 we were not inclined to sit up for game that night, 



when suddenly M sprung up and shouted in 



Hindostani, ' Look out, men ! those jungle wallahs 



