226 RIFLE AND ROMANCE 



this time the Korkus had climbed out of the watercourse, 

 which at this spot is practically a succession of dry 

 water-shoots, as it falls precipitously from the encircling 

 cliffs to the glen below 7 . 



Just below me was a small bit of cactus scrub, and 

 in this our spotted friend came to a pause. I took the 

 chance, hitting him, as I afterwards found, in the foot. 

 The left barrel scored a miss, and, by the time fresh 

 cartridges were inserted, he was sprawling up some 

 precipitous rocks with the same deceptive lobbing gait. 

 At the next shot, hard hit, he clung desperately to the 

 smooth surface of a boulder, and fell back some feet ; but 

 recovered himself and crawled along horizontally, getting 

 under a little ledge. He had now ascended into the base 

 of the cliff, which hung beetling over us five hundred feet 

 above the ravine, and nearer its base descends in per- 

 pendicular basalt scarps, alternating with short precipi- 

 tous slopes of rubble and rock. Above one of these slopes 

 he now lay in a sort of niche under the sheer rock-face, 

 showing nothing but the end of his tail and the ridge of his 

 back. Seeing that he was now in the hollow of our hands, 

 I climbed some way higher, to get a clear view of him ; 

 then, with a man holding me firmly behind, got astride a 

 little salai tree projecting from the dangerously steep hill- 

 side, and balanced self and heavy cordite rifle for the shot. 

 The bullet struck fair on the panther's spine, and out he 

 came, rolling rapidly over and over to the edge of the 

 slope. Next instant he shot over as though impelled by a 

 spring, and, every claw extended, described a beautiful 

 curve in mid-air, to the accompaniment of astonished ex- 

 clamations from the wondering Korkus. Falling through 

 a clear hundred and fifty feet, like a yellow meteor, he dis- 

 appeared into the ravine, still revolving ; and then there 

 came a distant but sickening thud. My orderly, warned by 

 my cry to " stand from under,** very nearly got the carcase 

 on his head ! Of course, that panther was as dead as a door- 



