n over me, when, aiming at his forehead, I
fired, and down he dropped in midway career, stone dead.

"Bravo, my lad, bravo!" I heard a voice exclaim from among the trees,
it seemed. "Capitally done, capital!"

I looked round and saw riding out of the wood on my left a somewhat
thin, but active, wiry-looking old man, but evidently from the tone of
his voice and his appearance a gentleman. Meantime the old priest came
back, and threw his arms round my neck to express to me the gratitude he
felt for the service I had done him. I thought that I even saw tears
trickling down his eyes. While this ceremony was going on, the old
gentleman rode up to the dead buffalo, and leaping from his horse
examined its head.

"A first-rate shot steadily planted. You are a young sportsman. How
came you here?" exclaimed the old gentleman.

I told him briefly how I was travelling through the country, and
following a deer had lost my companions.

"Not an uncommon occurrence. However, I can help you out of your
difficulties, I hope, and enable you to find your friends," he answered,
in a brisk, kind tone. "Come to my camp. We shall find it pitched not
more than two or three miles from this, towards the other end of this
wilderness of ruins."

While we were speaking, a couple of Moors, hunters by profession they
seemed, and other attendants, brown and scantily clothed, came up with a
number of dogs. They expressed great satisfaction at seeing the buffalo
dead, and cut out its tongue to carry away. The stranger directed them,
as I understood, to return to the camp, saying that he would follow
leisurely in a short time. He then turned to me.

"Thank the old Santon, and tell him you will not trouble him to come
further," said he.

I explained that I could not speak a word of his language.

"Oh, you have only lately come to the country," said the old gentleman.
"I will then act interpreter for you."

He spoke a few words to the hermit, and gave him a silver coin, which
the latter placed reverently in his bosom, bowing low at the same time.

"That is for himself, not for Buddha, though, I must tell him," observed
the old gentleman. "We have no business to support their false gods and
impious worship, under any pretext whatever. It only encourages them in
their errors, and brings down retribution on the heads of those who
ought to know better. Now, come along, my lad. I cannot take you up on
my horse, nor can I walk, but y