HINTS ABOUT POSTING MARKERS. 341 



would assuredly have made an attack, from their own fears. As it was, 

 winding us, but being merely aware of the close proximity of danger 

 without seeing the cause, they sprang away towards the nets, which they 

 could not see from the bush. With the retreat of the enemy I was myself 

 again, and seeing that my chance of a shot from our stronghold was gone, 

 I scrambled out and ran after them. I had not gone a dozen yards when 

 I saw one panther hesitating at the nets. I instantly gave it right and left, 

 and seized my second gun from my companion, who had fortunately followed 

 in my steps. The panther had its head towards the nets, which it instantly 

 charged and knocked down ; and the other panther went over the gap like 

 a flash of lightning, not giving me time for a shot. I then brained the first 

 panther, and the beaters coming up it was taken under shade, and we pro- 

 ceeded to redispose ourselves for beating up the escaped animal, which was 

 the male, and much the larger of the two. 



I had unfortunately, however, neglected to post men at a distance to 

 observe if he left the cover. This should never be neglected, and the young 

 sportsman will find a little time spent in posting markers before a beat is 

 commenced is rarely time lost. "When an animal gets past the guns, or is 

 temporarily lost sight of, immediate information as to the line he has taken, 

 and a prompt chase, often lead to his being found ; whereas if there be no 

 markers to direct the hunt, insurmountable difficulties, in loss of time or 

 perplexities of tracking, may be met with. In this instance we had made 

 too sure of our game. "VVe had not expected them to leave the cover. After 

 beating twice through it without finding the escaped panther we therefore 

 had nothing to guide us in our further search for him. The ground was dry 

 and hard, and tracking impossible ; and it was ecjiially likely that he might 

 have betaken himself to some jungle-covered islands in the Cauvery, about 

 a mile away, or to some light jungle and broken ravines beyond, or even to 

 some dense patches of sugar-cane nearer at hand. We did what we could. 

 We searched the nearest likely places; but the day was hot, and I was 

 soon tired, and we had to give up the chase. The panther must have 

 crossed a wide expanse of open ground in leaving the cover whichever 

 direction he took, and had two or three men been posted on the chance of 

 such a contingency, there is no doubt we should have killed him in a very 

 short time after his companion. However, wisdom can only be gained by 

 experience. 



This panther never returned, as far as we knew, to the cover. He must 

 have finally retired to some rocky droogs on the other side of the Cauvery, 

 from which, indeed, the pair was known to have come originally. The 

 ryots were on the look-out for some days, but nothing more was seen of 



