From the time he left Deennugghur to his arrival at Narkeet no thought of the dreaded man eater entered Bathurst's mind.

He was deeply meditating on a memorandum he was about to draw up, respecting a decision that had been arrived at in a case between a Talookdar in his district and the Government, and in which, as it appeared to him, a wholly erroneous and unjust view had been taken as to the merits of the case; and he only roused himself when the horse broke into a walk as it entered the village.

Two or three of the head men, with many bows and salutations of respect, came out to receive him.
"My lord sahib has seen nothing of the tiger ?" the head man said; "our hearts were melted with fear, for the evil beast was heard roaring in the jungle not far from the road early this morning." "I never gave it a thought, one way or the other," Bathurst said, as he dismounted.

"I fancy the horse would have let me know if the brute had been anywhere near.

See that he is tied up in the shed, and has food and water, and put a boy to keep the flies from worrying him.