OF THE OLD WORLD, 223 



the woods no lonf;ei' resounded with tlic sharp 

 strokes of the woodpecker ; but the ni::^ht-hawk was 

 on the wing, and darted swiftly to and fro after the 

 moths, which at that hour were flitting about in 

 great numbers. The air became redolent with the 

 fragrance of numberless flowering shrubs, which 

 seemed to emit a double perfume towards the close 

 of day. The evening deepened into twilight, the 

 twilight darkened into night, and the stars with 

 their mild radiance seemed as if they strove to 

 eclipse the lingering rays of sunset. At length the 

 mighty forest became silent, and no sound reached 

 our ears save the occasional chirping of a cricket, 

 the dismal hooting of the horned owl, the howling 

 of troops of jackals, or the melancholy booming of 

 the great hill-monkey. As the night wore on, the 

 tall trees could hardly be distinguished one behind 

 another, as they loomed darker and darker against 

 an indefinable background. 



Time passed slowly, the night air became chilly, 

 and at last I began to fancy the tiger, having 

 satiated his thirst with blood, had no intention of 

 returning for the flesh, (a frequent occurrence ;) so 

 I wrapped myself up more closely in my " combley," 

 (a blanket made of goats' hair, impermeable to wet,) 

 and set to work at my pile of sandwiches and cold 

 tea, with occasional nips of brandy, when suddenly 

 I thought I caught the sound of a rustling of leaves, 

 followed by the snapping of a dry twig. I set down 

 the bottle of tea I was in the act of raising to my 



