Chapter 5-

And then there was Darkness

THERE were two moons, and they were both full; one, cold and lustreless and hidden behind the trees, the other, an enormous.

sickly yellow orh which had just been switched on by Henry Win- ton, and which threw a diffused, synthetic glow over the salt-lick. From their slatted wooden bench on the verandah of the game cottage, Henry Winton and the Walters family peered into the dimly lit patch below. They were all huddled round Henry, asking him questions, and they were talking in whispers because they did not want to disturb the herd of bison on the salt-lick below them. and also because they were excited. The great, dark brown beasts were completely in the open, white-legged and green-eyed... "How old is the calf, do you think?' asked Mrs. Walters.

About three months."

Oh, just a bachha, what? said the Colonel. Which of the two bulls would you take. Henry, if you were shooting?"

The one on the right; magnificent animal. Look at the spread close on forry. I should think. Horns blunt with age, and splintered too, I bet."

"Don't they fight. asked Jean, two big balls in the same herd?"

Three,' said Henry. That one'sa bull too. behind mamma and the little one. No, they don't fight except during the mating season: around April and May. Then the big one will drive the other two away. "Look" said Jean. "The big one is looking at us

"He's certainly acting as though he were suspicious," said Henry

The big bull had put his head up and his great eyes shone green in the glare of the artificial moon. He went on staring into the tree for a long time, the king his ears, while they all held their breath.

Don't they ever blink their eyes? asked Mrs. Walters. Don't seem to, what, said her husband.

The old boy's caught some scent," said Henry. 'He's certainly acting as though he's suspicious: but not of us." 

'Oh, look the little one. He's trying to suck," said Jean, putting het hand on Henry's aun.

How sweet, said her mother. I do wish I could photograph them."

The old boy's still quite pttery, though, remarked Henry.

What d you think's wonying him?" asked the Colonel. Some other animal probably."

Oh, look at the baby and the mother, sad Jean. "Just look."

"Sweet, and Mrs Walters Sweet."

The big one doesnt likt it here, he's going to bustie them away any numate now, said Ilemiy

Oh no,' and Jean 'Oh, no"

He's tertamly acting damned queer. Notice how he hasn't had a single go it the he he doesn't like it at all Where exactly would you shoot hum? asked the Colonel.

Oh, from here it's an awkward shot Just behind the neck would be best, that should find his heart, way down. But you never find them in this positio a hen you are out shooting, craning their necks to look up at you The sual shot is the side shot: and then. you'd a pst behind the shoulder blade agam fanly low."

And what sort of bore?

Nothing smaller than three seventy five, Magnum, that is... They take a lot of killing I use a for-sixty-five myself; same for lephants and basm And sulids ton for both. Ooops-they are all cocking the heads now Scared." Of whit lo you think? asked Mrs Walters Some other animal, something they lon't care for. Maybe some- thing stalking them Fager asked Jean Shell had her hand on Henry's arm.

Could be more likely a leopard, even wild dogs. With that. httle one there they don't like it." Oh, the poor thin, said Jean. The little one has been shoved away, oh how cruel Yes even Mamma has caught the scent now Any moment.... Ah, they're off"

The big beson gave a snort and jerked his head, and all the others took alarm and twisted then bodies and threw their heads up and fled crashing into the jungle. They ld be heard for quite some time, but the salt-lick was empty, just a dimly lit patch in the dark forest. An hour had passed and the excitement had died down. The bison had not come back, nor was there any sign of any other animals.

"Queer,' said Henry, 'damned queer."

'Let's have dinner, suggested the Colonel. 'Shall we have khana, dear?'

It's hardly dinner time; only just past eight."

'Good idea, said Henry. "We seem to have struck a bad day."

"There's sliced ham and tongue, and hard boiled eggs, and rolls, and a salad; and a chocolate cake and apples too.' said Mrs. Walters smiling, and two thermoses of coffee."

"Coffee!-Good-oh!" said the Colonel. I expert Sudden 'll throw a fit." I've always felt a little disloyal myself whenever I drink coffee, said Henry. 'I could eat a house,' said Jean.

Amazing how hungry one feels, just waiting for game," said Henry, 'It's the excitement, of course."

The electric moon threw a dim, indirect glow in the verandah. They ate their dinner in silence and drank their coffee.

Fity we can't smoke,' said the Colonel. 'I'm dying for a cigarette.

'Of course you can smoke,' said Henry. The no-smoking rule applies only from March to May, for obvious reasons; then even a small spark could burn down the works."

"Sure I may smoke?" asked the Colonel, sounding very relieved.

'Of course you can; the jungle's quite damp.

Then why don't you smoke yourself, Henry?" asked Jean.

I try to discipline myself,' said Henry. 'I'm dying for a cigarette too, but I give up smoking every time I go out shooting, or on any thing like this. An elephant can detect cigarette smoke hundreds of yards away; if the wind is right, of course, and he connects it with fire. He doesn't know it's just your cigarette.

Sure you wouldn't care for one?' asked Mrs, Walters.

'No thank you.'

Colonel Walters lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. After a little while, he leaned back and stretched out his legs. Do you think anything else will turn up?" asked Mrs. Walters. "It's difficult to say,' said Henry. 'You see, the best time is be tween dusk and nine o'clock. That's the feeding time. After that, they are inclined to lie up." I think I'm going to turn in,' said the Colonel, yawning. The little bed in there looks a bit of teek-hai, what. And I expect I'll be turned out of it whenever both the ladies take it into their heads to retire."

"Are you going to stop up all night?" Mrs. Walters asked Henry. I expect I'll stretch out on the bench later, I'm quite used to this sort of thing. "Will you promise to wake me up if anything exciting turns up. anything at all?

Of course,' said Henry, trying to sound casual 'Of course'

Then I'm going to go and rest too, before Wally grabs the better bed tome in as soon as you feel sleepy, Jean,' said Mrs. Walters 'Yes, Mamma, answered Jean. 'But I want to stay up for some time

'Good night,' said Mrs Walters

The Colonel finished his cigarette, put it out carefully, making vomething of a show of it and holding out the dead stub for Henry's inspection Good night, you two, call inc if something does show up

At last they were alone They sat in the cold, silent night, talking m whispers and clutching each other hand tightly, and Henry's heart kept doing somersaults whenever there was a noise in the Jungle

Do you really think we'll see any thing' asked Jean

'I don't know I hope so I don't mind." said Jean I dont mind at all A you feeling sleepy?

'No are you?

I'm used to this sort of thing wa ng up for game except.

Except what whispered Jean, and her face was almost touch- ing his Fxcept what

Henry's lips felt dry Facept that I haven't always the loveliest girl in the world sitting next to me holding hands

'Do you like it?

'Ye es Would you like to kiss me?"

"Ye-ess

"Why don't you?

He could feel her breath warm and fragrant, and hes face, pale and more beautiful than ever in the soft side-glow of their arti ficial moon, was within inches of his own. He looked into her eyes, shining with eagerness, her mouth, half-open and inviting. He was wantonly delaying the moment, savouring its pleasure.

There was a slight noise below them, like a leaf falling, and Henry drew back with a start and looked down.

"What's that?' asked Jean.

"Can't say, something small; can you see it?"

Oh, yes; what is it?"

' 'A mouse deer, I think-Damn!"

"Why "damn"?"

'I hoped it was going to be something something much bigger. for you. I don't mind,' she said, and again pressed his arm.

Thirty feet below them, the mouse deer rubbed his nose into the earth and sniffed and shook his head with delight. scurrying about on his ridiculous little legs and sampling the salt-lick mixture at different places, and then, when he came close to the dense bushes at the nght edge of the patch, he stopped abruptly, jumped high in the air, and bolted away. "Did you notice that?" Henry whispered.

"What?"

The way that mouse deer jumped away from the bush."

'Yes what does that mean?"

"There's something hiding behind that hush.'

"What do you think?-leopard or something?"

'No, a tiger."

"A tiger?

Yes; I'm pretty sure that's what our bison must have been scared of. Besides, if it had been a leopard, it would have pounced on the mouse deer. A tiger wouldn't?"

"No; a tiger waits for big game."

"Can you see him?"

I am trying to They sit absolutely stock-still. God!--I wouldn't swear to it, but I think I can see the stripes just behind that-Can you see that whitish triangular patch.... Ah, now did you see? He moved just then."

'No, I can't see anything. What's he waiting there for?" For something to turn up. Waiting to make a kill. By love!-- it promises to be exciting. As soon as something turns up on the salt-lick, we'll see the tiger dashing out and making a kill."

'Really?"

"Yes. My word!-that's the sort of thing they lay on for the Governor! Shall I go and wake up the Colonel?

'Must you?'

'Oh, I'm pretty sure we'll see something exciting. Even if he doesn't make his kill, we'll at least see him coming out of that bush to attack."

Must you?' asked Jean, leaning towards him and bringing her face very close to him.

'No; I suppose not.

"Kiss me."

Henry kissed her. He had known what to expect, and yet it had made him gasp. He felt almost embarrassed by its lingering, search- ing intimacy. And then he had realized that a woman did not put so much of herself into a kiss unless she was inviting you to go further. He leaned over, forcing her shoulders back. But she pushed him away, gently vet fireoly. That's quite enough for a start, she said. She was sitting very primly now, not cuddling up to him any more. Have you got a handker hief?' he asked.

Here."

Is 1 my lipstick badly smeared?"

"No."

There is a bit on your lip, no, higher up. Here, let me do it for vou. That's it. It's very excition, isn't it?"

'Do you know, I've never before been kissed within a few feet of a tiger waiting to make a kill."

Shall we wake the Colonel up"

'No.'

'It's a chance of a lifetime; to see a tiger making a kill."

'No.'

All right; but please hold my hand; you're too far away." Jean shd closet to him and sat leaning against him once more, holding his hand.

They were sitting very still now, and boit upright, a half-hour or so later, for they had both heard a noise in the jungle on their left; at first a faint crack, like a twig breaking in the distance, and then a steady rustle. It was obvious that some animal was coming up to the salt-lick. Now,' said Henry.

What is it, do you think?"

"Something pretty big by the sound of it.... Wait, there are two of them."

Won't they get the scent of the tiger?"

'No, he's sitting down-wind. By Jove! This is going to be interesting!"

Henry was right. There were two animals; a male and a female sambhar. They came on unsuspectingly, for the faint wind was blowing from them to the waiting tiger. They came out into the circle of light like a pair of stage stars stepping towards the foot- lights, as though conscious of their grace and beauty. The deep- chested male with his huge head and arrogant, spreading antlers, and his trim, frisky young wife-of-the-moment were a perfectly matched pair. I wonder which one he will take,' said Henry.

'Oh, no!" protested Jean, clutching his wrist tightly. "Oh, no!"

"Shush! Mustn't make a noise here.'

Please stop it, Henry. Please!

You can't stop it. One of them has to die. The doe, I should think; because I don't think the tiger would want to take on any. thing with those antlers. My God-he's magnificent."

"It's shameful,' said Jean, 'horrible!"

Unsuspecting, the big burk and his lady were high-stepping into the arena of death, getting closer and closer to the dark clump of bushes on the right, and Henry noticed a slight stirring in the foliage. tail Did you see that?' he asked. "That was the twitching of the 'Oh, no,' protested Jean. 'Oh, no!' She was whispering no longer, but almost shouting. 'Run away, you fools! Go away! Go away!" 'Please,' said Henry. You mustn't disturb the game here. They'll stop coming to the game cottage if they are disturbed. Sudden'll be furious.' The pair of sambhars had stopped in their tracks, holding their heads high as though posing for a photograph except that they were both flicking their ears wildly to detect where the sounds were coming from. In the light of the electric moon, their eyes glowed like green embers.

Oh, how can you, Henry?" Jean screamed at him. 'Do something quick!" She picked up a cushion from the bench and hurled it at the sambhars, yelling, 'Go away, you fools! Get out of there!"

"What is it? What is it, dear?' Colonel Walters was saying be- hind them, and close behind him was Mrs. Walters. They came into the verandah and the Colonel put his hands on his daughter's shoulders and asked. What is the matter?"

They were just in time. They all saw the yellow tash below. them as the tiger broke from behind his cover, making a grunting. coughing sound, like that of a blunt saw on hard wood.

Oh, do something. Henry! Please, please! Jean cried out. "Oh, no! I can't bear it!

It was the doe he chose, young and fresh and frisky. She gave a terrified honk as he felled her, biting viciously into her throat, his deadly jaws crunching into the neck, his paws holding down like a vice the wild, thrashing of her lumbs, cutting angry, red-spurting gashes into her beautiful white belly.

I hate you!' screamed Jean. 'Oh I hate you, Henry. Then there was darkness. Henry Winton had switched off the artificial moon. 

Here's to the Proprieties!

BLISS. of the Gilmour Tea Company, won the rough shoot cup, having shot sixty-eight assorted birds and sax hares. Sudden was a close second, his bag just seven short of Bliss's, who's third win in succession it was. It was the first time Sudden had come so close to winning the Chinnar rough shoot.

Henry Winton, nearly always having to take the more difficult butts, knew that his score would not be very high. The butts for the different teams were decided by draw so that each Captain could place his guns according to his choice. There was no doubt left in Henry's mind that Sudden was making a determined bid for the individual championship that day, and he wished him all luck. If anyone deserved to win the rough shoot championship, it was Sir Jeffrey Dart, considering the practice he put in every year in and out of season. All the same, Henry could not help feeling that towards the end of the day, when Sir Jeffrey must have become tired, either Cotton or himself would have fared better if they had been given some of the butts that had accounted for record bags in the past years, so that as a team they would have won the championship for Brindian. As it was, even the team event had been won by Gilmour.

Henry could sympathize with Sudden; he did try so hard, and it was almost unfair that he should have lost by so small a margin. At the same time, he could not put away the slightly disloyal thought that the Brindian team could have won the team event if Sudden had not always kept the best shooting positions for himself.

The biggest bags always fell to those who had the forward butts. On the rearward butts, the birds usually came high, and they came scattered and flying fast because they had been already shot at by the front guns. You had to pick out each bird then; there was no question of firing off both barrels into a thick covey and hoping for the best. Even so, Sudden had had something of a windfall that day when he brought down eleven birds with a right-and-left, and at one time he was leading Bliss. But in the afternoon he had begun to fire and had made an indifferent showing on some of the most prized butts.

The Brindian team had come second, exactly a dozen birds be-- hund Gilmour.

Bliss was the hero of the day, and next week it would be his name that would go up once again on the teakwood board in the Highlands Club entrance hall: Peter Bliss who would be toasted in thampagne that evening, poured out in the enormous rough shoot cap: Bliss, fair-haired and slight and tall and twenty-seven-his photograph would appear in the Tatler and the Field.

It was Bliss, too, who took Jean Walters to the Chinnar Week dance that evening. Jean who was wearing a shimmering white dress and gold shoes to match her gold hair, and looking pale and severe and implausibly beautiful-Jean who had turned down. Henry's proposal of marriage that very morning.

They had climbed the hill behind the house, and they had just witnessed the breath-taking spectacle of a winter sunrise in the Himalayas. They had watt hed in silence, shivering slightly because of their nervousness and also because of the cold, early morning wind, and neither of them had spoken for a long time. Then Jean had said, 'Oh, it's not true.' She was still looking into the distance and her words were barely audible. 'It is so beautiful it... makes you want to cry." Henry held her arms gently and turned her face towards him. Will you marry me?" he asked.

" She did not say anything for a long time, so that he had to ask his question again. Will you?"

I was hoping you weren't going to ask me. Henry," she said. And yet, I knew you were."

I love you," he said Her hands felt cold and damp in his She shook her head. I wish I knew what to say. It's so, so be- wildering. That's why I was hoping you wouldn't ask me--at least not now knowing that it would only make you despise me ever afterwards."

'I love you; nothing can make me despise you."

'But I cannot give you an answer. There is someone... someone...

'Someone you love?" She turned her face and gazed wide-eyed at the Himalayas. "Yes, Henry. And yet... I wanted you to say what you have just said. But I know it was wrong to... to go on as I did."

Is it because you don't want to spend your life in this.... wilderness?

Jean shook her head. "No. I've nothing against this life." He put his arms round her and crushed her close to him. 'You haven't said "yes" or "no", he said. 'Or is it "no"?" 'You're hurting me Henry. Please. I don't know myself. I wish I knew. Try to understand me. It is not fait to press me for an answer....

Henry released his hold rather suddenly, and she had to move back a step to get her balance. And then, almost perversely, he seized her again and kissed her full on the mouth.

"Oh, leave me, leave me alone!' Jean said with sudden anger, and pushed him away with all her strength. As soon as she was free, she turned and ran down the hill path.

Henry had found Cockburn where he had expected him to be. He was sitting in front of the fire in the men's bar, and he was all by himself. He peered hard at Henry for a moment, as thongh annoyed at being interrupted. Then he said. "Come and have a drink. Winton. And please shut the door; I can't bear the damned music!"

He must certainly have got through a bottle, thought Henry, for Cockburn's words were slurred and his face had a deep, un- natural flush, Henry closed the door, and the blare of the dance music was suddenly deadened.

'Come and sit down," said Cockburn. This is quite an occasion, as I see it. This is the last time we may be having a drink together. Let's drink."

Henry sat down in the next chair. There was no use denying what Cockburn had said. Cockburn did not come to Chinnar as regularly as did most of the other planters, and it was out of the question that he would sull be about for Chinnar Week next year. Won't you be coming up, sir; now and then?' asked Henry.

'Not bloody likely. For one thing. Lamlung is so terribly cut off

y'know, takes a full day to get here, and you have to cross the Tista over a bamboo-and-rope bridge.... We're for ever having some drunken coolie go crashing down onto the rocks. And after that you have to do the last mile or so by pony. But it's wonderful when you get there. It it wasn't so terribly difficult to get at, I'd ask you to come over for a week-end. Wonderful fishing: the best in Assam! Would you care to come?"

Lamlung was the last place on earth Henry had any desire to visit. He felt a little guilty as he said, I'd have loved to, thank you very much; but not during the next few weeks, I'm afraid. You see, I've promised to be on hand in case the Tista one-tusker shows up.

Yes, of course," said Cockburn. "You'll have to be extremely care- ful over that business, very careful. Have you got a good shikari?"

The very best,' answered Henry. 'Chap called Kistulal, by far the best tracker in Assam. Runs in the family. His father shot with Leveson and got killed by a man-eater. This fellow's already lame, one leg mauled by a bear; but he's still the best damned tracker in the province.

Tracking he blowed! Is he steady in an emergency? You know how the best of them may run when :: comes to an emergency."

"Oh, yes, Kistulal's steady as a rock, absolutely. And even if he wanted to, the poor chap can't run very fast, or climb trees--with that leg of his, Personally, I'd back hini against any other guide in India.

"Good!" said Cockburn. 'We can't have you going after mad elephants with a kutcha shikari. You are, er... doing exceedingly well. It would be such a pity. Pinto do chota pegs, please! I see that you have... er... strayed away from your... er, pursuits. Miss Walters is looking de stat ng to-day. What happened?"

What you had expected, more or less. It seems there is another man; an officer from Daddy's regiment, no doubt. Oh, I like you more than anyone else but you kno that kind of thing. What the Americans call a brush-off. I say, n your way back, will you be secing your friend in Tmapur?-Henderson."

'The station-master? I don't know. If he's about when I go through. Why?"

I was wondering if... wondering if you'd mind mentioning to him that I could give that girl, Miranda, a job at Silent Hill. If she were just to send in an application....

'Oh. yes, of course, Cockburn promed. 'I'll make a point of seeing him."

It would be... well, it would, sort of take care of the proprieties," said Heny. if she were to apply for the post rather than my send- ing for her, out of the blue... Raise no end of a scandal, what? See what I mean?

'Perfectly, and Cockburn very solemnly. Perfectly. We must see that the proprieties are not violated, at all costs. Ah: here's to the proprieties!" and Cockburn raised his glass and drank.