of the Old World. 69 



" Well," said I, " the only souvenir that I should 

 care to keep, to remind me of this day's scene, would 

 be the skull of the man-eater ; and if my right-hand 

 has not forgotten its cunning, and my grooved bore 

 does not fail me which, all praise to the Bishop 

 of Bond-street and Westley Richards, it never has 

 done yet that trophy shall yet adorn my domicile, 

 for I do not intend to leave a stone unturned until 

 I bag the brute. My gang shall sleep at Botta 

 Singarum to-night, so as to be ready for work at 

 dawn to-morrow; arid I vote we ask for volunteers 

 among the detachment, and allow the steadiest men to 

 take their muskets with them, so as to defend the 

 line of beaters. It must, however, be an understood 

 thing that no one is to fire a shot at any other game 

 until our object is attained, or all chance of finding 

 him is over ; when we will finish the day by a general 

 beat, bagging everything." 



"Yes," said W , "you are perfectly right; 



there must be no firing at deer or hog. That is the 

 only way of doing the thing so as not to lose a chance ; 

 but, as it is now getting late, let us go back to the 

 village, caution the police authorities again about the 

 beaters, mount our nags, and be in time for the Doctor's 

 catering for, between ourselves, I am powerfully 

 peckish. ' By the piper that played before Moses,' it 

 is worth while going out, Shekar, were it only for the 

 appetite it creates, and the relish it gives one for beer. 1 ' 



