THE HIGHEE NARBADl 285 



down in my journal. Someliow we got on tte subject of 

 man-eating tigers, and I happened to ask Mm if he had 

 ever watched for a man-eater over the body of a man he 

 had MUed. 



" Yes," said he, " but I didn't much fancy it, as it stinks 

 abominably, and, besides, I don't care to have more to do 

 with ghosts than I can help, after what happened to 

 Padam Singh, Thakiir of Ponhri." 



With much pressing, I got him to tell me this wonderful 

 tale, which was much as follows : — " The village of Ponhri, 

 about thirty coss from here, was haunted a few years ago 

 by a perfect sMtan of a man-eating tiger. He was very old 

 and very cunning. There were two ghats that led from the 

 village to the open country, and on the hill between these 

 he used to live. Whenever he saw any persons leave the 

 village, he would rush across to the ghat they selected, and 

 waylay them there ; springing out with a roar, and carrying 

 off one of the party like a flash of lightning. Often did the 

 people of the village see him thus stalking some wretched 

 traveller, and sometimes were in time to warn him to take 

 to a tree ; but still oftener the monster was too cunning for 

 them, and approached his victim in the stealthy manner 

 only a man-eater can. He sometimes left his post for a 

 few days, and was then sure to be heard of at some one 

 of the surrounding villages at his old tricks. The road by 

 Ponhri was soon completely blocked up, and no one would 

 pass that way, although it was the high-road to several 

 large villages. The tiger soon became straitened for food, 

 as, having become confirmed in his taste for human flesh, 

 he could now eat no other ; so he took to frequenting the 

 outskirts of the village, and two or three times stalked the 

 Aheers, who were driving home their cattle, up to the very 

 doors. The bufialoes, however, which you know do not 

 in the least fear a tiger when in a body, always discovered 

 him and drove him off before he could do any mischief. 

 Thus repeatedly baflELed, the man-eater conceived the 

 bold idea of lying in wait for one of the cowherds in his 

 own house. This he did, somehow managing to smuggle 

 himself in unobserved; and when the wretched man, 

 after securing his charge in their shed, returned blithely 



