io8 IN THE INDIAN JUNGLE. 



kept this piece in my possession. The next morn- 

 ing, after my goats were killed, Lagon came to my 

 hut and said she heard I had a piece of the tiger's 

 ear, and offered me four rupees for it as she wanted 

 to make medicine with it ; but I refused, and then 

 she shut one eye and marked the sand with her 

 big toe and went away. Then I knew it was a 

 question of her life or my life, so I went to Gazee, 

 the Gond, for the charm. Lagon was sick for 

 some time, and did not leave her hut. It was 

 harvest time, and the women were in the fields 

 cutting paddy, and Kunkoo left her baby under 

 the mahua tree, within sight of the gleaners. At 

 noon, when the gleaners rested, the baby was gone ! 

 Ah, Huzoor ! the cry that went up when Kunkoo 

 missed her infant ! 'Twas the cry of the chiel 

 (water-hawk) when its nest is robbed. We searched 

 high, we searched low. The child was too young 

 to crawl, and no one had seen it carried off. Had 

 a Dave (goddess) taken it ? A few drops of blood 

 leading to the water-course was the first clue. T< 

 the water-course we went, and all was plain. Th( 

 pugs of a panther were plainly seen. Someon< 

 remarked that the panther had but three legs, 

 only three pugs could be traced ; the impression 

 of the left fore-paw was missing. We followed the 

 trail to the hills, and there it was lost among the 

 rocks. 



' Thereafter scarcely a month passed but we losl 

 some children. The goat-herds were afraid to go 

 to the jungles with their flocks. Not our village 

 alone, but Dalki, Huthutwa, Derwa, and Somi; 



