BEAR, BISON, AND SAMBHUR 97 



coolies, and had the two sambhur carried up 

 entire to the estate, presenting one of them to 

 the headman to distribute amongst the coohes 

 as their perquisite. 



On 9th January I shot a panther under rather 

 pecuhar circumstances. These animals are great 

 pests to stock, and had been worrying round a 

 great deal. I borrowed a goat, fortunately as 

 it turned out, a white one. The moon was good, 

 but the sky a bit cloudy, and as I had already 

 sat up four nights in succession, during one of 

 the intervals when the moon became obscured 

 by cloud, I shut my eyes to give them a rest, as 

 the strain and want of sleep were beginning to 

 be felt in them. I had barely remained five 

 minutes like this when suddenly I heard a 

 choking cry from the goat. Looking in the 

 direction, I saw in the dim light the goat being 

 shaken by some unseen power. I fired straight 

 for the white, and, except that it seemed to 

 collapse, I heard no sound. I could still see a 

 white patch, and fired again, but no sign or 

 sound. I then clambered down from the tree — 

 one does not seem to think till afterwards what 

 might have happened if a wounded tiger or 

 panther had been there — and walked up with 

 rifle in hand and found a panther stone dead, 

 with arms still clasped round the dead goat. 

 The bullet had gone clean through them both. 

 My second shot, too, had found its billet. I called 

 up the Sholagas, whom I had told to wait within 

 sound of my rifle, and had the panther carried 

 up to my bungalow, which I reached by 10 o'clock, 

 and how glad I was to get a good night's rest ! 



H 



