When setting the scene of the night of Mrs. Packletide’s “hunt,” Saki uses imagery, as seen in the following passage:
The great night duly arrived, moonlit and cloudless. A platform had been constructed in a comfortable and conveniently placed tree, and thereon crouched Mrs. Packletide and her paid companion, Miss Mebbin. A goat, gifted with a particularly persistent bleat, such as even a partially deaf tiger might be reasonably expected to hear on a still night, was tethered at the correct distance.
The imagery that Saki uses here brings readers more fully into the scene—they can hear the “particularly persistent bleat” of the goat the villagers are using as bait (in juxtaposition with the otherwise “still night”) and also visualize the “moonlit and cloudless” sky overlooking the “comfortable and conveniently placed tree” where Mrs. Packletide and Louisa Mebbin are crouched.
Because Saki does not use much imagery in the story, this sensory moment is significant. The stillness of the night and the brazen behavior of the bait combine to communicate to readers that this is anything but a challenging hunting experience. Saki's imagery here prepares readers for the ironic and comical nature of Mrs. Packletide going on to receive endless praise for her bravery and hunting prowess.
