132 The Hunting Grounds 



a bend in the road, where he had been known fre- 

 quently to lay in wait for his prey. 



"These man-eaters," added he, "are great devils, 

 and very cunning, and I should not at all wonder if 

 even now he was watching us from some dark 

 thicket." 



As he said this I carefully examined the caps of 

 my rifle, and I observed some of the gang close up 

 with a strange shudder, for this brute had inspired 

 them all with a wholesome fear, and prevented their 

 straggling. Two or three spoke almost in whispers, 

 as if they were afraid of his really being sufficiently 

 near to hear them conspiring for his destruction. 



At length Kistimah said that he had been thinking 

 of a plan which, though dangerous in the execution, 

 might be attended with success. It was for me to go, 

 with a man dressed as a runner, down the main road 

 at sunset, being the time the tiger generally carried off 

 his victims, and to run the chance of getting a shot. 



At this proposition sundry interjectional expres- 

 sions, such as "Abah!" "Arrez!" "Toba!" 

 "Toba!" escaped from the lips of the bystanders, 

 and, from sundry shaking of heads and other un- 

 mistakeable signs, I could see that it had not found 

 much favour in their eyes. Chineah, the dhoby, and 

 one or two of the gang, however, approved of the 

 plan, and Kistimah offered to accompany me as the 

 post runner. 



