DISPLEASUEE OF EUGONAUTH. 363 



heard giving vent to his displeasure, in no measured 

 terms of abuse, to the original look-outs, who, he 

 declared, had deceived them all. He requested 

 Roopur also to inform him if he considered himself 

 a shikaree. If he had seen a tiger at all, it had 

 slipped away. What manner of " bundobust " was 

 that? 



Perhaps he was a little irate at having been an- 

 ticipated in his efforts to track the beast. Perhaps 

 he really believed that the look-outs had allowed it 

 to steal away unperceived. However that might 

 be, he appeared by his taunts to consider that in 

 some way Roopur and his comrades were very much 

 to blame. The hunters, too, were beginning to 

 think their new assistant was probably untrust- 

 worthy or inefficient. 



As for Eoopur, he said nothing in reply to all 

 the chaff so freely lavished by the irascible Rugo- 

 nauth. But he deemed that his credit was at stake 

 that his honour was involved in the question. He 

 knew that his own eyes had not deceived him ; he 

 believed that his comrades had remained alert during 

 his absence ; and, further, he was well acquainted 

 with the spot, and was aware that, sheltered by the 

 overhanging cliff, were several dark cavities, whose 

 recesses were impenetrable by anything thrown from 

 above. He conjectured that in some one of these 



