A Hyrcan Tiger 239 



dans, to whom the flesh of swine is forbidden. 1 

 Vambery relates how, when travelling in these 

 parts disguised as a Mahommedan, he was 

 attacked near here by a savage sow. The Turko- 

 man then told him that his escape was a special 

 matter for congratulation, as " death by the 

 wound of a wild boar would send even the most 

 pious Mussalman unclean into the next world, 

 where even a hundred years burning would not 

 purge him " ! 



All this, however, has nothing to do with the 

 sounder of pig encountered that afternoon. The 

 remarkable point about these was that, instead 

 of bolting away from us, they were rushing in 

 our direction ; so it did not require a Sherlock 

 Holmes of the jungle to deduce from their be- 

 haviour that some animal at least as formidable 

 as myself was about. When, at the same time, 

 there came a noise, indescribable, not a growl, 

 still less a roar, a vibration of the air such as 

 might proceed from a large member of the cat 

 tribe, suspicion became certainty. I gathered 

 that we had disturbed a panther at an interest- 

 ing moment. We poked about in the bushes 



1 Persian Shias, however, especially those of the upper classes, 

 have a touching belief in the mercy of Allah, and it is currently 

 rumoured that in the capital itself the forbidden thing is con- 

 sumed, and thoroughly appreciated, under the name of " ghost-i- 

 bulbul " nightingale's meat ! 



