ereabouts I might have dropped it, and, on mentioning the
fact to my husband, he at once turned and rode back to look for it.
Being armed, I did not feel at all nervous at being left alone,
especially as there had been no cases, for many years, of assault on a
European in our district; but, seeing a big mango tree standing quite by
itself a few yards from the road, I turned my horse's head with the
intention of riding up to it and picking some of its fruit. To my great
annoyance, however, the beast refused to go; moreover, although at all
times most docile, it now reared, and kicked, and showed unmistakable
signs of fright.

"I speedily came to the conclusion that my horse was aware of the
presence of something--probably a wild beast--I could not see myself,
and I at once dismounted, and tethering the shivering animal to a
boulder, advanced cautiously, revolver in hand, to the tree. At every
step I took, I expected the spring of a panther or some other beast of
prey; but, being afraid of nothing but a tiger--and there were none,
thank God! in that immediate neighbourhood--I went boldly on. On nearing
the tree, I noticed that the soil under the branches was singularly
dark, as if scorched and blackened by a fire, and that the atmosphere
around it had suddenly grown very cold and dreary. To my disappointment
there was no fruit, and I was coming away in disgust, when I caught
sight of a queer-looking thing just over my head and half-hidden by the
foliage. I parted the leaves asunder with my whip and looked up at it.
My blood froze.

"The thing was nothing human. It had a long, grey, nude body, shaped
like that of a man, only with abnormally long arms and legs, and very
long and crooked fingers. Its head was flat and rectangular, without any
features saving a pair of long and heavy lidded, light eyes, that were
fixed on mine with an expression of hellish glee. For some seconds I was
too appalled even to think, and then the most mad desire to kill myself
surged through me. I raised my revolver, and was in the act of placing
it to my forehead, when a loud shout from behind startled me. It was my
husband. He had found my scarf, and, hurrying back, had arrived just in
time to see me raise the revolver--strange to relate--at him! In a few
words I explained to him what had happened, and we examined the tree
together. But there were no signs of the terrifying phenomenon--it had
completely vanished. Though my husband declared that