DOG v. PANTHER. 251 



thorn bushes, trying to spring at the horses as they 

 came near, but the riders circled round at a gallop, and 

 he was repeatedly speared, and soon killed. 



The second panther was to be hunted by the 

 Maharaja's dogs, a pack of savage-looking animals about 

 the size of greyhounds. But the' panther declined to leave 

 his cage, and sat lashing his tail, with his head out of 

 the door. It was not a pleasant time for the men on 

 the top of the cage. If they had made the slightest 

 movement, or betrayed their presence in any way, the 

 panther would have sprung on them in a moment. 

 Hermiron Singh was ecpual to the occasion. Standing up 

 on his elephant, he called to the people to shout, and a 

 yell went up from the crowd, discordant enough to scare 

 even a tiger. Our panther at once bounded out. Only 

 two dogs were let loose at first, and it was very pretty 

 to see them coursing. One dog ran on either side, and 

 they both kept making feints at the panther, all the 

 while watching their opportunity. At last one seized the 

 panther by the ear, then the other pinned him, and the two 

 pulled him to the ground. They were wonderfully clever 

 in avoiding his blows, one attracting his attention while 

 the other went in. The courage of these hounds is 

 extraordinary, for panthers are continually killing stray 

 dogs, and this beast was three times their size, and very 



savage. 



