"I wasn't joking," said Max. "I'm a serious-minded person. And what did happen this afternoon—if it isn't indiscreet to ask?"
She raised her eyes to his in astonishment. "But you were there!" she said.
"Who told you so?" demanded Max.
"I saw you myself, I spoke to you. I told you about—about Noel being in the temple—with the tiger." She halted a little over the explanation.
Max smiled at her—a curious smile that seemed to express relief. "I didn't think you recognized me in a helmet," he said. "Yes, I was there. I'd been on the brute's track since daybreak. I'm told that it's the proper thing to let natives do all the stalking in this country. But to my mind that's half the fun. Gives the tiger a sporting chance, too."
"You were actually hunting it all by yourself!" said Olga, with a quick shudder.
Her hand still lay in his; he gave it a sudden sharp squeeze. "Don't shiver like that! It's a sign of too vivid an imagination. Yes, I was all on my own, and enjoyed it. It was my first tiger too. I've learned quite a lot about the Indian jungle to-day. What made Nick choose the haunts of a man-eater for his Christmas party? Was it one of his little jokes?"
"We didn't believe in the man-eater," said Olga, beginning to make subtle efforts to recover possession of her hand. "There hadn't been one so near for years, and Nick said he thought it was bunkum."
"There," said Max, "he did not display his usual shrewdness of intelligence. Where is the little god by the way?"
"He's following on with Noel. They stopped behind to finish packing."