68 



THE ONE-EYED MAN-EATER. 



SOME years ago I was engaged in prospecting for 

 gold on the north-west-frontier of Mysore, between 

 the districts of Chittaldroog and Shimoga. The 

 forest tracts of Ubrani and Gangur, where my work 

 lay, are made up of stunted growths of bamboo, 

 babul and date-palm a very desolate country, the 

 villages being few and far between and the cultiva- 

 tion limited to the margins of the few streams that 

 drain this hilly region. This portion of the country 

 had a very evil reputation, for it was said to be in- 

 fested with tigers, which found ready shelter in the 

 low thorny jungle seen all over these hills. At the 

 time of my visit a notorious man-eater was ravaging 

 the country around Gangur, and it was reported 

 that twenty-six human victims had fallen a prey to 

 the savage monster in the past six months. A 

 large reward had been offered for his slaughter by 

 the Mysore Government, and some of the most 

 noted native shikaris had been after him but had 

 failed to bag the cunning brute. Several parties of 

 British officers from the military stations of Ban- 

 galore and Belgaum had also been after him, and al- 

 though a number of other tigers had been shot, the 



