134 The Hunting Grounds 



hill, in some places bare and in others covered with 

 thick jungle, with wild date or custard-apple clumps 

 here and there. 



Kistimah pointed me out a clump of rather thick 

 jungle to the right of the road, where, he said, the 

 tiger often lurked whilst on the look-out for his prey, 

 and here we saw two or three old trails. He also 

 showed me a rock from behind which the brute had 

 sprung on a post-runner some weeks before, but we 

 saw no signs of his having been there lately. 



It was, however, quite what an Indian sportsman 

 would have termed "a tigerish spot," for bold scarped 

 rocks and naked fantastic peaks rose in every direc- 

 tion from amongst the dense foliage of the surround- 

 ing jungle. Here and there noble forest-trees towered 

 like giant patriarchs above the lower verdure of every 

 shade and colour. 



Not a breath of air was stirring, nor a leaf mov- 

 ing; and as the sun was still high up, without a 

 cloud to be seen to intercept his rays, the heat was 

 most oppressive, and respiration even was becoming 

 difficult, on account of a peculiar closeness arising 

 from the decayed vegetation underfoot, and the over- 

 powering perfume of the blossoms of certain jungle 

 plants. 



After having reconnoitred the country I felt rather 

 overcome with lassitude, and returned to the rest of 

 the gang, whom I found sleeping in a clump of 



