The Adventures of Kathlyn

Behind her tree there was a clearing, then a jumble of thickly growing

trees; beyond those was another clearing, upon which stood a deserted

elephant stockade. The grass had grown rank in it for want of use.

She was in the act of putting on grass sandals when she saw, to her

dismay, the approach of men and elephants. Two elephants were ridden

by mahouts. Two other elephants were being jostled toward the

stockade, evidently new captives. They proceeded passively, however,

for elephants submit to captivity with less real trouble than any other

wild beast. Kathlyn crouched low in the grass and waited till the men

and elephants entered the stockade; then she ran quickly toward her

haven, the platform in the tree. She never went very far from this,

save in search of food. She had also recovered the idol and set it

back in its place. It was not, fortunately, a much frequented spot.

It was for the benefit of the occasional pilgrim, the ryots having

shrines more conveniently situated.

She nestled down among her rushes and waited. She could not see the

stockade from where she now was, but she could hear shouts from the

mahouts.

Recently she had discovered a leopard's lair near the stockade and was

very careful to avoid it, much as she wanted to seize the pretty cubs

and run away with them. By this time she knew the habits, fears, and

hatreds of these people of the jungle, and she scrupulously attended

her affairs as they attended theirs. Sometimes the great striped tiger

prowled about the base of the tree, sharpened his claws on the bark,

but he never attempted to ascend to the platform. Perhaps he realized

the uselessness of investigation, since the platform made it impossible

for him to see what was up there. But always now, to and from the

truce water, he paused, looked up, circled the tree, and went away

mystified.

Only the grass eating beasts came down to water that night, and Kathlyn

understood by this that the men and the elephants were still in the

stockade.

The following morning she went down to the stream to bathe; at the same

time the parent leopards came for drink. They had not cared to seek

their lair during the night on account of the fires; and, worrying over

their cubs, they were not in the most agreeable mood.

Kathlyn saw their approach in time to reach her platform. They snarled

about the tree, and the male climbed up as far as the platform.

Kathlyn reached over with a stout club and clouted the brute on his

tender nose.

A shot broke the silence and a bullet spat angrily against the tree

trunk. Two cats fled. Immediately there came a squealing and

trumpeting from the stockade.

This is what had happened: The chief mahout had discovered the cubs and

had taken them into the stockade just as another hunter had espied the

parent leopards. The rifle shot had frightened one of the wild

elephants. With a mighty plunge he had broken the chain which held him

prisoner to the decoy elephant and pushed through the rotten stockade,

heading straight for the river.