"BHOOTS" 157 



inside my hat ? " snatching it from his head, and 

 flinging it to the ground. We shouted in his ear 

 that it was only the feu-de-joie. 



"Oh," he said, "I could not think what awful 

 beast it was, buzzing round and round inside my 

 hat. It was like a great bumble-bee ! " 



I said to Poonia : " You are very foolish people 

 to throw away 5 rupees, twice over, to jugglers, 

 for the purpose of casting out devils. Do not do 

 it again. You do not believe there are ' Bhoots ' ? " 



" There are many," said Poonia. 



"Where?" Tasked. 



" Here in this garden there are some." 



" Oh, that's why you all rush away from your 

 work the moment dusk falls ? " 



"Yes," said Poonia. "There are also many in 

 the road at night, and no man will walk there 

 alone after nine o'clock." 



" What are they like ? " I wanted to know. 



" Some are like men, some are like cows, and 

 goats, and pariah dogs." 



" But they are those animals themselves ! " 



" Once a man was ill, and a ' bhoot ' like a cow 

 came to the house every night, and he died." 



