midday
But they were not kept in suspense much longer , for the light suddenly brightened , and they saw each weird shadow transform itself into a number of jackals . The smell of blood had attracted the pack , and they had made an attempt to get the dead body away from Maharaj . The reaction on their strained nerves was so great that the boys laughed aloud in pure joy at the sense of relief , and wondered they had not guessed the cause of the elephant 's restlessness before . For nearly four hours they had been on that apology for a neck , and their limbs were painful and stiff from the discomfort of sitting so close , when , without any warning , Maharaj came to a stop under a big neem-tree , and they recognised it as the place at which they had taken their midday meal going down to the village . Maharaj carefully placed the body of Piroo on the ground and knelt down beside it , and the boys , only too pleased at the chance , scrambled off as fast as their cramped legs would permit . It needed some walking up and down to get rid of their stiffness , so they chased the jackals and pelted them with stones , which restored their circulation quickly , whilst Maharaj stood sentry over the dead man . Tired out and exhausted , the boys were anxious for a little sleep , but they could not lie under the same tree as that gruesome thing , so they lay down under a neighbouring sal .