208 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



cloth and brown blanket caught here and there on the 

 thorns ; in the blood-besprinkled leaves and grass, where 

 a way had been forced through, and the boughs and bushes 

 wrenched aside by that tremendous passage ; and in the 

 sickly odour, by which they knew they had found the 

 remains of the victim. 



Though the tiger would not be alongside he would not 

 be very far off ; for the habits of wild animals do not vary, 

 though their hours may, according to whether they have a 

 full stomach or an empty one ; if the latter, then they must 

 keep on the prowl till their larder be replenished, giving 

 themselves but little sleep except during the sultry 

 noontide. 



That this tiger was now sleeping in some dim, cavernous 

 retreat could be counted on as a certainty for just so long, 

 and no longer, unless, indeed, he had so over-eaten himself 

 as not to waken for another twenty-four hours ; that was 

 quite possible, but they had to be ready for him in any case. 

 Two out of the five men were past masters of every move 

 in the game on hand ; the other three knew that, and 

 followed their direction unquestioning. 



A hastily-constructed machan was fixed up at the proper 

 height on a suitable tree, with closely-set boughs, to which 

 it could be securely lashed. Upon this F. and his friend 

 settled themselves to sit up over the ' kill ' for as short 

 or as long a wait as might be necessary, the spare rifles 

 beside them, and a provision of flasks and biscuits. The 

 peons with the villager were perched up above, they, too, 

 having food and water. The chief trial in long vigils of the 

 kind is cramp, for all must be still as statues ; a movement 

 might be fatal to success ; therefore F., as every sportsman 

 would be, was very careful in choosing his rifle-bearers. 

 These two men could and would endure as long as their 

 master — more was not asked of them. The villager seemed 

 made of the same metal, for the peons told me afterwards 



