W e, that is Byomkesh and I, Ajit, could not ignore any longer the repeated requests of Kumar Tridib to visit his estate. So one cold December morning we left Calcutta for a break of seven or eight days. Our intention was to relax completely for those days, and return bright and fresh for work again, to Calcutta.

There was no dearth of hospitality. We spent the first day just snacking every hour and chatting non-stop with Kumar Tridib. The main topic of our discussion was, of course, Kumar Tridib's uncle, Sir Digindra, mentioned in the story — Hidden Heirloom.

After dinner, Tridib ushered us to our bedroom and said, "We will go out early tomorrow morning for hunting. I have made all the arrangements."

Byomkesh asked enthusiastically, "What kind of game do you find?"

Tridib said, 'Not tigers but rabbits, wild boar, deer, peacocks, wild ducks — there is a large jungle at the border of my estate. The jungle belongs to Himangshu Roy — the zaminder of the adjoining estate called Chorabali, quicksand. Himangshu is a good friend of mine. I informed him this morning about our visit, and also asked his permission to hunt in his area. I hope you don't mind?'

We both said together, "Mind?"

Byomkesh added, "Only there are no tigers — that's disappointing."

Tridib said, "I can't say there are no tigers. Every year one or two tigers do visit this area, but don't depend on it. Besides, even if a tiger is available, my friend Himangshu will bag it — he won't allow us to hunt it." He began laughing. "He has no time to look after his estate — he is so addicted to hunting. He spends most of his time either in the room where he keeps his guns, — or he is roaming around in the forest. He is crazy about hunting. His aim is also remarkable. He can shoot a tiger standing on the ground."

Byomkesh said curiously, "What did you say was the name of the estate — Chorabali'? Strange name!"

"Yes, we have heard that there is a patch of quick sand somewhere in the jungle. But no one knows where exactly it is. That is why this strange name was given," he looked at his watch and said, "You'd better go to bed — or you'll not be able to get up early." He smothered a yawn and left.

We were given one large room with two beds. We snuggled under comfortable, soft and warm quilts, and prepared for a good night's sleep.

Soon we were fast asleep. Suddenly I found myself drowning in quicksand. Byomkesh was standing at the edge of the quicksand, watching me and laughing. Soon I was neck-deep in sand, and was gradually getting suffocated. For a moment I got the taste of a terrible death. I woke up sweating profusely — the quilt had covered my nose — hence the feeling of suffocation! I sat up on my bed for some time thinking amusedly, how our thought process could strangely filter into our sleep....

Very early in the morning there was a big rush to go out for hunting. We wore shorts and warm hoses — breakfasted on hot scalding tea and cakes and climbed into the vehicles. The car was loaded with three shot-guns, lots of bullets and a huge basket of foodstuff. Tridib, Byomkesh and I piled on to the back seat of the car and the car started at once. We sped through a cold, misty dawn. Kumar mumbled through his raised overcoat collar, "If we don't reach before sunrise, it will be difficult to get peacocks and woodcocks. At this time, they sit on the branches of trees — and are very good targets."

Soon dawn broke. There were rice fields on either side of the road — some corn sheafs were standing, while others had been cut and kept in bunches. We could see a dark green shadow in the horizon. Kumar pointed to it and said, "That is where we are going to hunt."

After about twenty minutes, our car reached the edge of the forest. We got down enthusiastically with loaded guns. Kumar Tridib went to one side. Byomkesh and I walked to the other side of the forest. This was the first time that I was going to use a gun, so I was nervous to venture out alone. Tridib and we decided before parting that we would meet at an open space on the eastern edge of the forest at about 9 a.m., when we would have our breakfast.

It was a huge forest. A variety of tall trees covered the sky. The sunlight filtered through their leaves. There was a huge amount of game available — deer, rabbits, birds of many kinds. I cannot express the great excitement which we felt when we pulled the trigger and found birds dropping dead at our feet — I could write an epic on it, but I don't want to be the laughing stock of veteran tiger hunters!

I considered myself to be equal to the legendary Arjun in aim. But Byomkesh had only used his gun twice and killed a rabbit and a peacock — he was looking for larger game — like deer, boar or even a tiger.

But as the sun rose, the fresh forest air stoked our appetites. So we began walking towards the eastern edge of the forest. We found that Kumar Tridib was also walking towards the open space.

We reached the clear space. In front of it was a large sandy patch — shaped like a half-moon. It was about a quarter of a mile in width, but we could not make out how long it was — it bordered the forest. The sunlight shone on the sand — it was a beautiful sight. This area prevented the forest from expanding eastwards. Maybe many years ago it had been a huge river, now with natural calamities