as bright as day. I
kept watch until about 2 a.m., when I roused Mahina to take his turn.
For about an hour I slept peacefully with my back to the tree, and then
woke suddenly with an uncanny feeling that something was wrong. Mahina,
however, was on the alert, and had seen nothing; and although I looked
carefully round us on all sides, I too could discover nothing unusual.
Only half satisfied, I was about to lie back again, when I fancied I
saw something move a little way off among the low bushes. On gazing
intently at the spot for a few seconds, I found I was not mistaken. It
was the man-eater, cautiously stalking us.

The ground was fairly open round our tree, with only a small bush every
here and there; and from our position it was a most fascinating sight
to watch this great brute stealing stealthily round us, taking
advantage of every bit of cover as he came. His skill showed that he
was an old hand at the terrible game of man-hunting: so I determined to
run no undue risk of losing him this time. I accordingly waited until
he got quite close--about twenty yards away--and then fired my .303 at
his chest. I heard the bullet strike him, but unfortunately it had no
knockdown effect, for with a fierce growl he turned and made off with
great long bounds. Before he disappeared from sight, however, I managed
to have three more shots at him from the magazine rifle, and another
growl told me that the last of these had also taken effect.

We awaited daylight with impatience, and at the first glimmer of dawn
we set out to hunt him down. I took a native tracker with me, so that I
was free to keep a good look-out, while Mahina followed immediately
behind with a Martini carbine. Splashes of blood being plentiful, we
were able to get along quickly; and we had not proceeded more than a
quarter of a mile through the jungle when suddenly a fierce warning
growl was heard right in front of us. Looking cautiously through the
bushes, I could see the man-eater glaring out in our direction, and
showing his tusks in an angry snarl. I at once took careful aim and
fired. Instantly he sprang out and made a most determined charge down
on us. I fired again and knocked him over; but in a second he was up
once more and coming for me as fast as he could in his crippled
condition. A third shot had no apparent effect, so I put out my hand
for the Martini, hoping to stop him with it. To my dismay, however, it
was not there. The terror of the sudden c