248 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



the happy people came thronging in. The rejoicings began 

 when their arch-enemy lay prone before them, and were at 

 flood-tide with the skinning ; but I am going on too fast. 



That morning F., accompanied as usual by a peon, had 

 set out on some forest work, both carrying rifles — there was 

 no stirring anywhere without them now — and had not gone 

 any farther than the charcoal-burners' huts when they 

 suddenly came upon a tangled mass of very long black hair, 

 and a quantity of coloured glass bangles, such as native 

 women wear by dozens on their arms, lying broken and 

 strewn about where they had been freshly vomited up. 

 Moreover, a moment's look round showed where the grass 

 had been pushed aside and pressed down by something 

 being dragged over it ; a sickly odour, too, hung about the 

 place. Following these indications, they presently dis- 

 covered the half-eaten body of a woman. All question as 

 to the tiger's whereabouts was thus answered in an instant. 

 He was now within bow-shot, fast asleep, repleted — what 

 they saw proved that ; he would come back for his next 

 meal, though it was not bound to be that same day. If 

 not roused he would perhaps sleep on into the next ; in 

 any case, he was unlikely to stir for some hours. All was 

 plain sailing now. F. and the peon having securely rigged 

 up a machan with a good screen of branches all round it in 

 a tree over against the ' kill,' and noted certain landmarks 

 to ensure being able to find it again without mistake, went 

 back to camp to supply themselves with food and drink 

 in case they might have to spend the night in the machan ; 

 for the less the ground were walked over the better. 



Astonishingly little fuss was ever made over these affairs. 

 F. was sure of his rifles, sure of himself, and he would 

 take care that only one who could be trusted shared his 

 watch ; in this case it was the man who was with him in the 

 morning. They started off again about three-thirty, so as 

 to be beforehand, and found all as they had left it, only the 



