AN INOPPORTUNE SONG. 147 



of the ruk, the shikari on my right called out that 

 a stag had got up ; and though I ran in the direc- 

 tion he pointed, the stag was too quick for me, 

 and by the time I got outside had disappeared. 

 The cold at night was intense, and I felt it 

 considerably. My tent was pitched close to 

 a canal, which was frozen hard at the edges, 

 and the floating ice kept up a dull grinding 

 noise, monotonous in the extreme. Nevertheless 

 I was up before daylight, going through the 

 jungle to the open ground, where from a hillock 

 we carefully scanned the country. It was not 

 long before we sighted a herd. My shikari 

 leading the way, we made for a friendly water- 

 course, deep enough to cover us upright, with 

 a nice even bottom, so that we got on at a 

 great rate, taking an occasional look over the 

 edge to see if they moved. We had got more 

 than half-way, and I was feeling pretty confident, 

 when I heard a sound in the distance which filled 

 me with despair, the human voice divine ! It was 

 a beast of a Turki, singing at the top of his voice. 

 The herd were evidently as much annoyed as 

 myself: there they stood, with their heads up, 

 listening to the sound ; then turning tail, they 

 trotted into the jungle. 



