58 THE EASTERN HUNTEBS. 



'* That remains to be proved. I'll send this man 

 to fetch some villagers to carry in the cheetul ; and 

 here, tie a piece of rag to this branch and drag the 

 body underneath it. It will scare away anything 

 till he returns. Now lead the way." 



The two accordingly went off at a fast walk, and 

 another ten minutes brought them to a dip in the 

 table-land. A watercourse intersected the hollow, 

 and although not at this season a running stream, 

 had, from its monsoon abundance, left in its deepest 

 clefts one or two pools of water, the resort during 

 the night of numerous deer. 



From ridge to ridge the intervening hollow was 

 covered with yellow grass, tinged with green in 

 those parts near the water. Patches of jungle 

 fringed the ridges and also the whole undulating 

 space, affording good stalking ground to an active 

 man. 



Peering through one of these patches, the villager 

 pointed with exultation to the samber, still uncon- 

 sciously feeding on the further side of the water- 

 course, but far out of shot from the spot from which 

 the hunters were observing them. Norman nodded, 

 and carefully examined the ground towards them, 

 both with his own unassisted eyes and by the aid of 

 a good binocular. 



The deer were about a hundred yards from that 



