CHAPTER XVII 



The Western Ghats — Castle Rock and Morumgoa — Fine scenery — Spend 

 a hot season at Castle Rock — A kill in a ravine — The guns posted — A 

 tiger viewed — A doubtful hit — Bapu the optimist — A tell-tale leaf — 

 An advance in close order — The enemy prepares to charge — Careful 

 shooting necessary — Success — FolloA\ing up a wounded bear — A 

 curious story — Second sight — An apparition in the night — Convincing 

 evidence — An apology to my readers — Another tiger marked down — 

 Caught napping — An unexpected encounter — My perilous position — 

 Face to face — A desperate proceeding — Seeking refuge in a bush — A 

 precarious shelter — Suspense relieved — A lucky shot — Curious evidence 

 of a recent victim — A man-eating panther — Carries off a child — The 

 body found — Watching over the remains — An eerie vigil — A jackal 

 greedy but suspicious — The panther at last — Creeping up to the 

 " kill " — Only five yards off — A steady shot at his chest — Hit but not 

 dead — Too dangerous to foUow up by night — The hunt resumed — 

 Tracking by blood and footprints — Found dead — A well-nourished 

 beast — The fallacy of theories regarding man-eaters. 



The magnificent scenery of the Western Ghats is too well 

 known to need any description, and is too beautiful for any 

 one — except an expert with pen or pencil — to depict. 

 Castle Rock on the S. M. Railway and Morumgoa were 

 the two places we generally went to. 



The latter used to be at one time somewhat famous 

 for the number of tigers and panthers to be found in the 

 neighbourhood, and a friend of mine, who was once stationed 

 there as consul and head of the railway, shot a good many. 

 The jungles around still contain some of these beasts, and 

 bison, too, I believe. 



These jungles, which connect with those of the Kanara 

 District, contain many a hill and valley of quite extra- 

 ordinary beauty, and in the course of our shikar expedition 

 we often came on exquisite little nooks and streams bordered 

 with the Royal Osmunda fern. 



The whole of our hot weather we spent at Castle Rock 

 126 



