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.