TRAPPING A MAN-EATER. 303 



for miles. Owing to his depredations, it was diffi- 

 cult to get cultivators to remain in the rice 

 fields after dusk, so that much of the crops 

 were destroyed at night by deer and pigs. The 

 zemindar above alluded to, with considerable diffi- 

 culty, managed to get a Kol and his wife from the 

 Karagpur hills to watch his fields by night. A 

 high platform on slender poles was erected in the 

 centre of the field, and on this the Kol and his wife 

 took up their quarters at dusk. The night being 

 cold in winter, the pair had with them an earthen 

 pot filled with fire and a supply of firewood to last 

 the night. They had scarcely taken their places 

 on the platform before a large tiger made his appear- 

 ance, and walking up to the machan began sniffing 

 round and round. Apparently he had not seen 

 the couple, but had followed them up by scent, 

 as he walked round and round the platform making 

 larger circles in his hunt for the lost trail and re- 

 peatedly came back and sniffed at the poles of the 

 frail edifice on which the pair were crouching in 

 helpless terror. After a time he realised that his 

 prey was on the platform above, and rearing him- 

 self on his hind legs he tried repeatedly to pull down 

 the shaky fabric, but the slender poles gave him no 

 foothold, so that he could not climb on to the struc- 

 ture, which was just beyond his reach. The hours 

 went by, and time and again he renewed his efforts 

 to pull down or climb the machan. The moon rose 

 late and the occupants were in hopes that with the 

 moon, the tiger would take his departure. The 

 moon was in her zenith and the tiger had ceased his 



