﻿CHEER 
  PHEASANT 
  51 
  

  

  on 
  very 
  thick, 
  tough 
  wooden 
  stems. 
  So 
  strong 
  is 
  this 
  growth 
  that 
  one 
  may 
  walk 
  firmly 
  

   over 
  its 
  springy 
  foliage, 
  several 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  actual 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  beneath. 
  Here 
  

   I 
  found 
  the 
  most 
  comfortable 
  of 
  seats, 
  and 
  lying 
  outstretched 
  in 
  my 
  weather-worn 
  khaki, 
  

   I 
  seemed 
  to 
  merge 
  completely 
  with 
  the 
  outcropping 
  reddish-brown 
  rocks 
  on 
  all 
  sides. 
  

   There 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  pair 
  of 
  eyes, 
  however, 
  which 
  put 
  my 
  efforts 
  at 
  concealment 
  to 
  

   scorn. 
  First 
  a 
  white 
  vulture 
  came 
  circling 
  lower 
  and 
  lower 
  to 
  see 
  whether 
  or 
  no 
  I 
  was 
  

   a 
  suitable 
  victim, 
  and 
  before 
  he 
  had 
  decided 
  that 
  I 
  possessed 
  too 
  much 
  life 
  for 
  any 
  hope 
  

   of 
  a 
  meal, 
  he 
  was 
  joined 
  by 
  another. 
  Both 
  soon 
  drifted 
  away, 
  after 
  a 
  silent, 
  critical 
  

   inspection, 
  and 
  my 
  next 
  visitor 
  was 
  a 
  splendid 
  raven, 
  which 
  flapped 
  unconcernedly 
  along 
  

   the 
  slope 
  before 
  me, 
  wholly 
  unconscious 
  of 
  my 
  presence 
  until 
  he 
  had 
  rounded 
  the 
  angle 
  

   behind 
  which 
  I 
  was 
  lying. 
  I 
  have 
  seldom 
  seen 
  sudden 
  fear 
  and 
  terror 
  so 
  truly 
  depicted 
  

   in 
  a 
  bird. 
  Although 
  without 
  mobile 
  mouth 
  or 
  hands 
  to 
  express 
  emotion, 
  yet 
  as 
  the 
  bird 
  

   veered 
  outward 
  when 
  almost 
  upon 
  me, 
  his 
  feet 
  sprawled 
  out, 
  his 
  feathers 
  ruffled, 
  his 
  

   wings 
  almost 
  refused 
  to 
  bear 
  him 
  onward, 
  and 
  the 
  raucous 
  squawk 
  I 
  which 
  rang 
  out 
  

   came 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  depths 
  of 
  his 
  bird 
  soul. 
  Never 
  have 
  I 
  seen 
  a 
  raven 
  make 
  quicker 
  

   time 
  downhill. 
  His 
  black 
  form 
  fairly 
  melted 
  from 
  view 
  as 
  he 
  shot 
  away, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  

   succeeding 
  five 
  minutes 
  I 
  could 
  hear 
  him 
  giving 
  vent 
  to 
  his 
  feelings 
  far, 
  far 
  below 
  me 
  — 
  

   filling 
  the 
  valley 
  with 
  brave 
  oaths, 
  now 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  at 
  a 
  safe 
  distance. 
  Some 
  jays 
  joined 
  

   in 
  for 
  a 
  time, 
  and 
  the 
  uproar 
  or 
  the 
  sight 
  of 
  the 
  excited 
  birds 
  caused 
  the 
  vultures 
  to 
  

   return, 
  but 
  only 
  for 
  a 
  single 
  circling 
  swoop, 
  then 
  they 
  were 
  off 
  for 
  good. 
  

  

  I 
  scanned 
  the 
  rocks 
  carefully 
  for 
  some 
  sign 
  of 
  life, 
  and 
  at 
  last 
  was 
  rewarded 
  by 
  

   finding 
  a 
  big 
  old 
  " 
  baboon," 
  or, 
  more 
  properly, 
  langur, 
  perched 
  upright, 
  motionless, 
  many 
  

   yards 
  away. 
  He 
  neither 
  moved 
  nor 
  seemed 
  especially 
  interested 
  in 
  anything, 
  and 
  as 
  it 
  

   was 
  impossible 
  for 
  a 
  monkey 
  to 
  focus 
  his 
  attention 
  upon 
  any 
  one 
  thing 
  for 
  the 
  many 
  

   minutes 
  during 
  which 
  I 
  observed 
  him, 
  I 
  made 
  up 
  my 
  mind 
  he 
  was 
  merely 
  taking 
  a 
  

   sunbath, 
  dozing 
  on 
  the 
  warm 
  stone, 
  before 
  making 
  his 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  deodars 
  a 
  hundred 
  

   yards 
  away. 
  

  

  I 
  myself 
  began 
  to 
  feel 
  the 
  soporific 
  effect 
  of 
  the 
  bright 
  beams, 
  and 
  resting 
  my 
  head 
  

   on 
  the 
  springy 
  surface 
  I 
  listened 
  idly 
  to 
  the 
  buzzing 
  of 
  flies, 
  and 
  watched 
  little 
  iridescent 
  

   bees 
  searching 
  every 
  blossom 
  near 
  by. 
  A 
  few 
  minutes 
  had 
  passed 
  when 
  my 
  eye 
  caught 
  

   a 
  slight 
  movement 
  in 
  a 
  clump 
  of 
  half-dead 
  grass 
  and 
  instantly 
  I 
  was 
  all 
  alert, 
  lying 
  with 
  

   all 
  my 
  being 
  concentrated 
  on 
  that 
  bit 
  of 
  vegetation. 
  At 
  last 
  my 
  eye 
  seemed 
  to 
  pick 
  out 
  

   a 
  dim 
  form 
  among 
  the 
  grass 
  stems— 
  something 
  speckled, 
  brownish 
  yellow, 
  compact, 
  

   stealthy. 
  The 
  creature, 
  whatever 
  it 
  was, 
  took 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  steps 
  forward, 
  and 
  I 
  made 
  up 
  

   my 
  mind 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  small 
  feline, 
  perhaps 
  the 
  rare 
  marbled 
  cat. 
  As 
  it 
  approached 
  

   the 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  grass 
  clump 
  I 
  began 
  to 
  see 
  details, 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  fully 
  made 
  up 
  my 
  mind 
  

   to 
  see 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  dainty 
  cats 
  step 
  forth, 
  when 
  a 
  tall 
  thin 
  neck 
  and 
  head 
  shot 
  up 
  and 
  

   there 
  stepped 
  into 
  view 
  a 
  full-plumaged 
  Cheer 
  Pheasant 
  ! 
  Never 
  did 
  I 
  feel 
  more 
  

   completely 
  nonplussed. 
  Another 
  glance 
  at 
  the 
  grass 
  stems 
  showed 
  me 
  that 
  my 
  cat's 
  

   head 
  was 
  a 
  bunch 
  of 
  dead 
  leaves, 
  its 
  legs 
  were 
  the 
  swaying 
  stems, 
  its 
  body 
  and 
  coloration 
  

   were 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  pheasant 
  which 
  had 
  just 
  stepped 
  forth. 
  I 
  had 
  restraint 
  enough 
  to 
  close 
  

   my 
  eyes 
  to 
  narrow 
  slits 
  and 
  lie 
  quiet, 
  and 
  for 
  fully 
  five 
  minutes 
  the 
  Cheer 
  and 
  I 
  had 
  a 
  

   staring 
  match, 
  which 
  the 
  bird 
  almost 
  won. 
  

  

  Out 
  of 
  the 
  corner 
  of 
  my 
  eye 
  I 
  saw 
  another 
  brown 
  form 
  emerge 
  from 
  its 
  hiding- 
  

   place, 
  and 
  the 
  first 
  bird 
  now 
  took 
  two 
  more 
  steps 
  forward 
  and 
  gave 
  a 
  low 
  chuck'. 
  

  

  