86 INDIAN BIG GAME 



always looked back upon that as a record day, 

 when I saw two tigers, besides securing a chital 

 and an antelope. 



My bag for 1894, while very small, had been 

 fairly productive of excitement. In March, for 

 instance, my record book shows the death of three 

 panthers and the wounding of a fourth. 



Sitting up for a panther is not nearly so satis- 

 factory as for a tiger ; the former seems naturally 

 to look out for its enemy in a tree, and the number 

 of times I have been discovered and lost a shot 

 have made it most disheartening work. What has 

 always struck me is the marvellous way in which 

 " Spots " will creep up and appear suddenly 

 almost on to the kill. About a mile from the 

 bungalow by the short-cut, lay Gunguru Kanawe 

 (where Garstead now is), the latter word meaning 

 saddle, a place much frequented by tigers and 

 panthers, which come up the path that crosses 

 the saddle from the Malay Kadu into our hills. 



During March, which is the hottest and driest 

 month of the year, the grass is nearly always 

 swept by fires, so that cattle become very poor 

 in condition ; each year generally claims a few 

 victims. 



On the 10th of March a herdsman reported 

 that the previous evening he had been forced to 

 leave behind a cow which was too weak to follow 

 the herd to the kraal, and the next morning on 

 going to look her up he found a panther had seized 

 her. I went down to the place, chose a tree, and 

 gave instructions for a machan to be built. At 

 3 P.M. I again started for the place and found 

 everything had been done most satisfactorily. 



