PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE

The small boat called dinghy touched the muddy shore line. There were four men in the dinghy. They were honey collectors who risked their lives to collect honey from these interior Islands where twenty out of every hundred are victimized by the infamous royal Bengal Tiger. The channel was narrow streamed from a branch of the Rai mangal, one of the treacherous salt water streams in the mangroves of the sundarbans. Sunk in the knee-deep mud dotted with sharp sword-like pneumatophores the four men alighted upon solid land where the forest, silent and mysterious, welcomed them. The forest which shelters the animals and birds and lakh of species of insects is also their mother-giver of food. Before embarking on their work they offered there to the guardian deity-Bana Biwi with garland and incense. Then they ventured into the forest. They knew the forest and they knew where to look for the honeycomb. They had learnt the trade from their father and they will teach this to their children. Thus the legacy will continue. But here they were at the mercy of the forest god and goddess, Dakshin Ray and Bana Biwi. The silent and cautious walk led them to the interior-to the depths of the forest of Garan and Sundari,palash and Mohua. For generations they had followed these tracks spilt with sweat and blood. The silence of the forest was suddenly broken. They grew alert -their senses intent on any danger. But they knew the sounds of the forest. It was something else. Deep groans echoed from someone. It was clearly the full groan of a human being.

"What in the name of the sacred God is that?"One of them said.

"Someone is in great pain. Let's see who it is."

They advanced towards the source of the sound which increased as they walked farther. Behind a bush they saw a couple of feet bleeding. They walked fast and closed down the gap in a few minutes. Their eyes burst out at what they saw.

Curled up in a hazel bush lay a man. His clothes, all in shreds, his skin in tatters from the prickly thorns in the forest. His face, now palid and wizened, must have been very handsome in its original shade. The deep groans, emitted from him, were expressive of the infernal hardship he had to face. In his hand he held a bag, tattered a little but well in use. A diary, soiled and blotched up,lay beside him.

"Salim,look there's another…"

Another man,much in the same state as the other one,stretched under a tree.He was, however, a white man.Further search led them to discover a third man to Ying a few yards near them.

"God be blessed!What on earth has happened to these men?"The boatman asked anxiously.

"Whatever it may be...we have got to get them to safety.Leaving them here at the mercy of Fate would bring curse upon us.So...be quick...let us take them to the boat,"one of them said.

The three ailing men were carried to the boat and they rowed towards the forest ranger's office.

The forest ranger Mr.Sanyal identified the three men and forthwith sent them to the Block hospital at Canning.The ranger was walking gravely up and down the gravel walk of his bungalow.He was deep in thought.The three men brought to him were the three word-famous scientists who were sent on a secret project by the Government.They had been missing since November along with one of his rangers, Rathin and a few other workers.Search-parties were sent to those parts where they were last seen.They ransacked the area but in vain.No trace of them could be found.And now their abrupt return in this state when it was taken for granted that they were either dead by some disease or killed by the man-eaters puzzled him.

Mr.Sanyal constantly kept in touch with the news of the three scientists and the doctors assured him that they would recover steadily.For the time being he had occupied the belongings of these men.However,on searching he found nothing considerable to throw some light upon their mysterious disappearance.Among the articles that he considered to be worth were a few species of stuffed butterflies, unidentified fungus and a splintered bone of an animal which he could not identify.There was a diary of course which he has not opened yet.Is it likely that the diary contains anything that could provide clues to this mystery? Even if it could ,it would not be gentlemanly to dig up someone's privacy.As these thoughts crowded his mind he walked up to the drawing room. He sat on the easy chair and asked the servant for a cup of coffee. He noticed the diary on the table and picked it up. On the first page was a name written in block letters.

"Bhargav Desai."

He hesitated and a moment later flipped the page over.