A LITTER OF PANTHER CUBS. 87 



antagonist was dead, lay quietly down, and began 

 to lick the scratches and bruises they had received 

 in the conflict ; but old matter-of-fact Ponto, in a 

 most cautious manner, went up to each of the car- 

 casses, examined them all round, as if to satisfy 

 himself that there was no life remaining ; after 

 which he came trotting up to me as I was reload- 

 ing, looked up in my face in a peculiarly knowing 

 manner, wagged his apology for a tail, and lay 

 down at my feet grunting with intense satisfaction. 

 Having rubbed the blood and dirt off the dogs, 

 and examined their limbs carefully, so as to make 

 sure that they had received no serious injury, we 

 again took up the panther's trail, which led us to a 

 shelving rock, where, in a small cave, we found two 

 young panther cubs, one of which the dogs killed, 

 and the other, a young male, we caught alive. 

 He was not larger than a Clumber spaniel, but 

 already very ferocious, scratching and biting at 

 every one who approached; and as he. would not 

 walk, I had him slung to a bamboo so as to be 

 more easily carried, having first taken the pre- 

 caution of fastening up his mouth. I then sent 



