of the Old World. 133 



This, however, I objected to, for I thought that I 

 should have a better chance of meeting the tiger if 

 I went alone than in company ; besides, I preferred 

 having only myself to look after. The plan of action 

 once settled, I returned to the village and obtained 

 from the patel the bamboo on which the tappal- 

 runners sling the mail-bags over their shoulders. To 

 the end of this is an iron ring with a number of 

 small pieces of metal attached, making a jingling 

 noise as the man runs, which gives warning of the 

 coming of the post to any crowd that might be ob- 

 structing the path, allowing them time to get out of 

 his way. Having broken off the ring, I fastened it 

 to my belt, so as to allow it to jingle as I walked ; 

 and, arming myself with a short double rifle by 

 Westley Richards, a brace of pistols, and a huge 

 shekar knife, I made Kistimah lead the way down 

 the road towards the place where the man-eater was 

 said to lurk. 



About a mile from the village I made the gang 

 and the villagers who accompanied me halt, and went 

 on with Kistimah, Chineah, and Googooloo to recon- 

 noitre the ground. 



The road was intersected by a narrow valley or 

 ravine, along the bottom of which was a dry, sandy 

 watercourse, the banks of which were overgrown with 

 high rank grass and reeds, intermixed with low 

 scrubby thorn-bushes. To the left was a low, rocky 



