206 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



judge pretty accurately ; for the men told us they were 

 wearing their blankets, having tied them over their heads 

 with a string round the neck, hood-like, which would account 

 for the man's cries, if he uttered any, being much muffled. 

 They had been followed, that little company of four, by the 

 hungry tiger, unsuspected, stealthily watching for his chance, 

 and then taking it with unerring judgment. 



As we also had set out at daybreak, travelling towards 

 that party, and consequently towards the tiger that was 

 stalking them, it seemed to me that we must have been 

 running the same risk as they all day. But F. thought not ; 

 for the man-eater, having marked down his man, would not 

 have let himself be distracted, nor would he seek other prey 

 for some days till he became hungry again. In an ordinary 

 way we should have met the four villagers ; as it was, the 

 three fled back horror-stricken. 



A letter meant to reach F. before we left Ooty to stop 

 us from starting had been delayed on the way by the illness 

 of the bearer. It was from a brother sportsman, giving 

 khubber (news of game) from a private and reliable source 

 of the more than suspected presence of a man-eater some- 

 where on that Ghat, and proposing that an expedition to 

 bag him be arranged ek dum (immediately), so as to secure 

 the prize for themselves before he should have, perchance, 

 advertised himself to all the native shikaris by carrying 

 off some poor wight — which, alas ! was just what he 

 did do. 



Khubber of this sort travels far and wide, if sent by word 

 of mouth, so for that very reason the message was under 

 seal ; but we wished the news had filtered down sooner to 

 this village, and perhaps hindered those four from setting 

 forth upon their journey. As it was, the writer of the 

 belated letter was with us before it eventually came into our 

 hands. He heard we had started, knew our destination, 

 and was there almost as soon as we, having come by the long 



