THE WILD MAN OF THE WOODS. 123 



man, and a couple of Jhora gold-washers. We 

 were resting awhile under the shade of a huge 

 sdl tree ; my companions were eating a little snuff 

 a common stimulant among men, women and 

 children in these parts and I was stretched at 

 full length and munching a biscuit, when suddenly 

 all of us sprang to our feet as peal upon peal of 

 girlish laughter rang out from the direction of a 

 pool of deep water in the river a hundred yards 

 or so below the spot where we were resting. 



Who could it be ? There was not a village within 

 ten miles. My own camp was fully that distance 

 down stream, yet the laughter was certainly human 

 and girlish. Mookroo was off at once to recon- 

 noitre, while we stood silent and expectant. The 

 Khol returned in a few minutes and told us 

 it was a party of Juangs, or wild people, who 

 had come down to the pool to bathe, and that 

 the women and children were in the water, and 

 probably the men were in the forest on the 

 other side. I had heard much of the Juangs, 

 by some described as gigantic monkeys, by 

 others as wild people of the woods, who wore 

 no clothing and lived in trees. Mookroo asked 

 us to be cautious if we wished to see them, 

 as the least unusual sound would send them off 

 into the forest, like frightened deer. We made 

 a detour and stealthily advanced in the direction 

 of the pool, where a strange sight met our gaze. 

 The whole party, consisting of ten persons, men, 

 women and children, were assembled on the bank, 

 performing their toilet. The women were innocent 



