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take the same path which she and the bear had just used, in which 

 case we should have met in the narrow passage under the swarm ; 

 her I did not dread her, but I certainly did fear the bees. 



I cannot without some demur accept the assertion, page 100 of 

 Jerdon, that they avoid " wetting their feet." All cats to a greater 

 or less degree dislike water, but I do not think that panthers avoid 

 crossing small streams or damp ground. In our early days at 

 Tounghoo in Burmah, a panther every night visited the slaughter 

 shed, at the angle of the old fort, and I have often traced it and a 

 tiger along a path which ran over what is now the cantonment 

 parade and on which both often were over their paws in water and 

 mud. I met the panther once, face to face ; and as he stopped to 

 have a good look at me, I have no doubt as to his not being a tiger 

 cub, as might otherwise have been supposed. 



Again the first large beast I tried my gun on, was a trapped 

 panther, which in youthful folly some of us wanted to try to spear 

 from horseback* the Commandant wisely prohibited this, so the 

 trap was placed in a duck punt, which from a small boat, in which 

 were some ill armed and very bad shots, was towed into a lake near 

 the cantonment. The trap being opened and a charge of snipe 

 shot from a very safe distance being fired at it, Leopardus came 

 forth ; and after a calm survey, leisurely took to the water and 

 swam towards the land where it was covered with children and 

 followers who had turned out to see the fun ; we gave chase as 

 fast as we could row : on finding himself pursued, he turned back 

 and swam a splendid charge at the boat, being missed freely in his 

 course, and being only settled by a lucky shot in the head and a 

 timely spear thrust as he was in the act of getting into the little 

 boat. 



* I trust I may not be supposed to mean, that, a fair rider and spearsman on 

 a bold and clever horse should not try such a feat. I have never performed it, 

 but I would back a good man and horse against even an untrapped panther. In 

 this case few of us had ever handled a spear. Once while beating for hog, an 

 excellent spearsman and I were, by an outcry that a tiger had broken covert, 

 beguiled into galloping at an animal which we hoped was a panther but which 

 proved to be a hyoena this we gave up and returned in time each to win a 

 spear at hog but, knowing the horses, I think that had the quarry been a 

 panther the odds were in our favor VAGRANT. 



