o start as soon as the heat of the day was over.

"I wish Bathurst had been coming," Major Hannay said, as, with Isobel by
his side, he drove out of the cantonment. "He seems to have slipped away
from us altogether; he has only been in once for the last three or four
weeks. You haven't had a tiff with him about anything, have you, Isobel?
It seems strange his ceasing so suddenly to come after our seeing so
much of him."

"No, uncle, I have not seen him except when you have. What put such an
idea into your mind?"

"I don't know, my dear; young people do have tiffs sometimes about all
sorts of trifles, though I should not have thought that Bathurst was
the sort of man to do anything of that sort. I don't think that he likes
Forster, and does not care to meet him. I fancy that is at the bottom of
it."

"Very likely," Isobel said innocently, and changed the subject.

It was dark when they reached the appointed spot, and indeed from the
point where they left the road a native with a torch had run ahead to
show them the way. The tents looked bright; two or three large fires
were burning round them, and the lamps had already been lighted within.

"These tents do look cozy," Mary Hunter said, as she and Isobel entered
the one prepared for them. "I do wish one always lived under canvas
during the hot weather."

"They look cool," Isobel said, "but I don't suppose they are really as
cool as the bungalows; but they do make them comfortable. Here is the
bathroom all ready, and I am sure we want it after that dusty drive.
Will you have one first, or shall I? We must make haste, for Rumzan said
dinner would be ready in half an hour. Fortunately we shan't be expected
to do much in the way of dressing."

The dinner was a cheerful meal, and everyone was in high spirits.

The tiger had killed a cow the day before, and the villagers were
certain that he had retired to a deep nullah round which a careful watch
had been kept all day. Probably he would steal out by night to make a
meal from the carcass of the cow, but it had been arranged that he was
to do this undisturbed, and that the hunt was to take place by daylight.

"It is wonderful how the servants manage everything," Isobel said. "The
table is just as well arranged as it is at home. People would hardly
believe in England, if they could see us sitting here, that we were only
out on a two days' picnic. They would be quite content there to rough
it and take their meals sittin