NIGHT WATCHES. 133 



it nevertheless was better than a seat on the ground all night, 

 with the almost certainty of fever and ague as the sequence. 

 Before her last absence from this locality, this pond used to be 

 visited often by the tigress at night, to slake her thirst in its 

 comparatively sweet water ; and also as a favourable spot on 

 account of its height, to take the air while reconnoitring the 

 country. I confess, I had little hope of success in this at- 

 tempt to obtain an introduction to her ladyship ; but on the 

 bare chance of it, and in the absence of any other resource, 

 Doolap and I mounted the tree half an hour after sunset, 

 provided with blankets to be spread on the " machan," over 

 a foundation of dry grass ; a cane footstool for my seat ; 

 three double barrelled guns ; and certain creature comforts, 

 not to be omitted when going upon a long watch. 



Up to nine o'clock, the only creature which showed it- 

 self in the bright moonlight, was a solitary "kuttas," or 

 large civet cat (Viverra zibetha\ as big as a jackal almost ; 

 then came a sounder of five wild-hog which remained in and 

 about the water fully half an hour before taking their de- 

 parture ; and those were shortly after succeeded by a pack of 

 " providers," which after a drink and a chorus of howls 

 and yells, trotted off across the fields in search of 

 carrion. 



Hours went by wearily, the moon reached and then 

 passed the zenith, while we dozed and watched by turns all 

 in vain ; one and two o'clock were checked off on the watch- 

 dial by aid of a match, and then the still night air vibrated 

 with the " pheeow " cry, repeated rapidly three or four times 

 till it died away in the far distance. Doolap remarked with 

 a yawn that we should not see the tigress to-night ; to which 

 I replied, not till dawn perhaps ; but when day broke, chill 

 and foggy, we had seen nothing more. 



Obtaining no fresh news, we resumed our seats on the 

 same " machan " the next evening, and watched patiently in 

 perfect silence, till past eight o'clock ; the moon's bright 

 beams flooded with light the water of the tank, and caused 

 the dew on the grass and weeds to sparkle and shimmer 



