of the beautiful swan, but the golden bird, she fancied, was turning away from her in neglect—the boar, it seemed, was roaming there in quest of the lily-like Shaibalini. The face of the swan could not be seen but that of the boar, as it appeared, resembled Foster's. Shaibalini felt, she was trying to go after the swan to catch it, but her legs, being transformed into films of lotus, got rooted to the bed of the pond—she lost the power of moving; the boar on the other hand seemed to say, "Come to me, I will get the swan you want."
Shaibalini awoke at the first report of the gun—then she heard the noise with which the sentinel fell on the water. In the langour of disturbed sleep, Shaibalini for a time could not understand what the matter was. The swan and the boar were still reccuring to her mind. When another gun was heard and a great row was created on the bank, her sleep was completely broken. She came out in the outer cabin, and for a time looked out through the slightly opened door—but she failed to make out anything. She then returned to the inner cabin and found that Parbati also had awakened. Shaibalini asked her,
"Can you say what's the matter?"
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