only the eyes of the brute were invisible.  A moment of intense excitement followed, and then, emboldened by the extreme stillness, he showed his whole head above the surface.  I pulled the trigger, and a Meade shell crashed through the monster’s skull, scattering his brains in the water and actually sending one splinter of the skull to the opposite edge of the tank, where my little Hindoo boy picked it up and brought it to me.

There was a mighty agitation in the water; the water-lilies rocked to and fro, and the broad leaves glittered with the water drops thrown on them; then all was still.  Hearing the report of my gun, the natives came flocking to the spot, and, telling them their enemy was slain, I departed, leaving instructions to let me know when the body came to the surface.  It did so three days later.  Getting some chumars and domes (two of the lowest castes, as none of the higher castes will touch a dead body under pain of losing caste), we hauled the putrid carcase to shore, and on cutting it open, found the glass armlets and brass ornaments of no less than five women and the silver ornaments of three children, all in a lump in the brute’s stomach.  Its skull was completely smashed and shattered to pieces by my shot.  Its teeth were crusted with tartar, and worn almost to the very stumps.  It measured nineteen feet.

But during this digression my friends Pat and Willie have been waiting on the banks of the ‘Teljuga.’  I reached their tents late at night, found them both in high spirits after a good day’s execution among the ducks and teal, and preparations being made for catching an alligator next day.  Up early in the morning, we beat some grass close by the stream, and roused out an enormous boar that gave us a three mile spin and a good fight, after Pat had given him first spear.  After breakfast we got our tackle ready.

This was a large iron hook with a strong shank, to which was attached a stout iron ring.  To this ring a long thick rope was fastened, and I noticed for several yards the strands were all loose and detached, and only knotted at intervals.  I asked Pat the reason of this curious arrangement, and was told that if we were lucky enough to secure a mugger, the loose strands would entangle themselves amongst his formidable teeth, whereas were the rope in one strand only he might bite it through; the knottings at intervals were to give greater strength to the line.  We now got our bait ready.  On this occasion it was a live tame duck.  Passing the bend of the hook round its neck, and the shank under its right wing, we tied the hook in this position with thread.  We then made a small raft of the soft pith of the plantain-tree, tied the duck to the raft and committed it to the stream.  Holding the rope as clear of the water as we could, the poor quacking duck floated slowly down the muddy current, making an occasional vain effort to get free.  We saw at a distance an ugly snout rise to the surface for an instant and then noiselessly disappear.