quite light, and I proceeded to dress
leisurely to spin out the time. As I was drawing on my boots, Isaacs
sauntered in quietly and laid his gun on the table. He was pale, and his
Karkee clothes were covered with mud and leaves and bits of creeper, but
his movements showed he was not hurt in any way; he hardly seemed tired.

"Well?" I said anxiously.

"Very well, thank you. Here they are," and he produced from the pocket
of his coat the _spolia opima_ in the shape of a pair of ears, that
looked very large to me. There was a little blood on them and on his
hands as he handed the precious trophies to me for inspection. We stood
by the open door, and while I was turning over the ears curiously in my
hands, he looked down at his clothes.

"I think I will take a bath," he said; "I must have been in a dirty
place."

"My dear fellow," I said, taking his hand, "this is absurd. I mean all
this affected calmness. I was angry at your going in that way, to risk
your head in a tiger's mouth; but I am sincerely glad to see you back
alive. I congratulate you most heartily."

"Thank you, old man," he said, his pale face brightening a little. "I am
very glad myself. Do you know I have a superstition that I must fulfil
every wish of--like that--even half expressed, to the very letter?"

"The 'superstition,' as you call it, is worthy of the bravest knight
that ever laid lance in rest. Don't part with superstitions like that.
They are noble and generous things."

"Perhaps," he answered, "but I really am very superstitious," he added,
as he turned into the bathing _connat_. Soon I heard him splashing among
the water jars.

"By-the-bye, Griggs," he called out through the canvas, "I forgot to
tell you. They are bringing that beast home on an elephant. It was much
nearer than we supposed. They will be here in twenty minutes." A
tremendous splashing interrupted him. "You can go and attend to that
funeral you were talking about last night," he added, and his voice was
again drowned in the swish and souse of the water. "He was rather
large--over ten feet--I should say. Measure him as soon as he--" another
cascade completed the sentence. I went out, taking the measuring tape
from the table.

In a few minutes the procession appeared. Two or three matutinal
shikarries had gone out and come back, followed by the elephant, for
which Isaacs had sent the ryot at full speed the moment he was sure the
beast was dead. And so they came up the li