264 ROUGHING IT IN SOUTHERN INDIA 



positive of the presence of our visitor. Otherwise it was 

 possible that he might think the affair had been magnified, 

 perhaps even mistrust Rollo's nose ; but the pugs could not 

 be gainsaid. It turned out to be as they had guessed. The 

 footprints were found in a perfectly distinct succession up 

 to and round the two sides of my hut, the truth being that 

 the tiger, happening to pass our neighbourhood in the course 

 of his perambulations, had ventured to look round, the 

 fire perhaps being low and everything quiet, and after 

 stopping a moment to snuff at the appetising morsels so 

 near him, had stolen round past the door ; but Rollo's 

 baying had let him know that he was scented out, so he 

 quietly took the hint and slunk off, careful of his own safety 

 before everything. 



That was the one and only incident that marked this 

 dreaded week, except that a sambur stag ' belled ' one night, 

 and Rollo showed how completely he was to be relied upon 

 for discrimination. Being wakeful, I was reading, and heard 

 the musical note ring through the air ; so did he, for he lifted 

 his head, and pricked up his ears to listen, then laid his cheek 

 down again with a comfortable sigh. He knew it was no 

 concern of ours, nor of any moment, except in so far that a 

 stag, having winded something, had ' belled ' to apprise or 

 warn his herd. It is a clear, loud note, repeated at intervals, 

 and frequently heard during the mating season. 



One pitch-dark night after F.'s return we were sitting up 

 late, waiting for the outbreak of a storm that was travelling 

 towards us, both of us being so happily constituted, as we 

 considered, as to downright revel in a thunderstorm. The 

 rest of the camp was wrapped in slumber, not a sound any- 

 where, till a faint cry close at hand broke upon the midnight 

 quiet — the tremulous ' mooing ' of a bison calf which had 

 somehow got separated from its mother, and finding itself 

 alone, lifted up its voice to call for her. Then came the quick 

 response, vibrating with pleasure and reassurance, the baby 



