ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 241 



and that he might be seen in the morning as far as that 

 from the place where he was certified to have been the pre- 

 vious evening, it can be readily understood that there was 

 no telling his whereabouts at any particular moment. No 

 man would work alone in the fields, and even parties kept 

 watch on all sides, leaving off while the sun was yet high 

 if they had any distance to go ; for their homes must be 

 reached before dusk, when somewhere — who knew where ? — 

 the enemy would begin to open his sleepy eyes, yawn, and 

 stretch himself, preparing to scent around for his supper. 



At last things had come to such a pass that our shikari 

 made a vow that it should be the tiger's life or his, and the 

 drinking-trough settled the point as to where to set up his 

 watch. It was overhung by a big shady tree, and amongst 

 the screening boughs he had a commodious machan con- 

 structed ; there he would live, without coming down, for a 

 fortnight, taking with him food enough to last that time. 

 Water he could draw up for himself. The tiger must come 

 to drink, then would be his opportunity. But he never did 

 come ! The depredations ceased ; not so much as a goat 

 was missed, and that hollow roar which used to wake such 

 fearsome echoes in the rocky ground about — no one heard 

 that any more either. From the day that the devoted 

 shikari stationed himself in the tree there was not a sign 

 of the tiger ; so the people plucked up heart, even to fetch- 

 ing water, and chatting with their hero, coming and going 

 safely. ' Ah, it was a cunning tiger,' they said, ' and he 

 had scented danger, perhaps he had even seen the man 

 and his gun waiting for him, and had betaken himself while 

 he might to safer quarters. The shikari's very presence had 

 rid them of their enemy, and the water was now their own 

 again ; for though a tiger could stand a long starvation, 

 thirst he could not endure, and he would have to seek 

 water. Everybody knew that, so no better proof was 

 needed that he was really gone.' 



Q 



