190 MAMMALIA— PANTHER. 



are always called so, and by ourselves as well as by the natives. This 

 turned out to be a panther. My gun chanced not to be put together ; and 

 while my servants were doing it, the collector and two medical men, who 

 had recently arrived, in consequence of the cholera morbus having just then 

 reached Ceylon from the continent, came to my door, the former armed with 

 a fowling-piece, and the two latter with remarkably blunt hog spears. 

 They insisted upon setting off without waiting for my gun, a proceeding 

 not much to my taste. The tiger (I must continue to call him so,) had 

 taken refuge in a hut, the roof of which, like those of Ceylon huts in general, 

 spread to the ground like an umbrella ; the only aperture into it was a small 

 door, about four feet high. The collector wanted to get the tiger out at 

 once. I begged to wait for my gun; but no — the fowling-piece, (loaded 

 with ball of course,) and the two hog spears were quite enough. I got a 

 hedge stake, and awaited my fate from very shame. At this moment, to 

 my great delight, there arrived from the fort an English officer, two artillery 

 men, and a Malay captain ; and a pretty figure we should have cut without 

 them, as the event will show. I was now quite ready to attack, and my 

 gun came a minute afterwards. The whole scene which follows, took place 

 within an enclosure, about twenty feet square, formed, on three sides, by a 

 strong fence of palmyra leaves, and on the fourth by the hut. At the door 

 of this, the two artillery men planted themselves ; and the Malay captain 

 got at the top, to frighten the tiger out by worrying it, — an easy operation, 

 as the huts there are covered with cocoa-nut leaves. One of the artillery 

 men wanted to go in to the tiger, but we would not suffer it. At last the 

 beast sprang : this man received him on his bayonet, which he thrust appa- 

 rently down his throat, firing his piece at the same moment. The bayonet 

 broke off short, leaving less than three inches on the musket ; the rest re- 

 mained in the animal, but was invisible to us : the shot probably went 

 through his cheek, for it certainly did not seriously injure him, as he instant- 

 ly rose upon his legs, with a loud roar, and placed his paws upon the 

 soldier's breast. At this moment, the animal appeared to me about to 

 reach the centre of the man's face ; but I had scarcely time to observe this, 

 when the tiger, stooping his head, seized the soldier's arm in his mouth, 

 turned him half round staggering, threw him over on his back, and fell 

 upon him. Our dread now was, that if we fired upon the tiger, we might 

 kill the man : for the moment there was a pause, when his comrade attack- 

 ed the beast exactly in the same manner as the gallant fellow himself had 

 done. He struck his bayonet into his head; the tiger rose at him — he 

 fired ; and this time the ball took effect, and in the head. The animal 

 staggered backwards, and we all poured in our fire. He still kicked and 

 writhed ; when the gentlemen with the hog spears advanced, and fixed him, 

 while some natives finished him, by beating him on the head with hedge 

 stakes. The brave artillery man was, after all, but slightly hurt: he claim- 

 ed the skin, which was very cheerfully given to him. There was, however, 



