A PHANTOM PANTHER 



long I was unconscious. At any rate the cure was evidently 

 complete for I have no recollection of feeling any the worse 

 for the fall. 



Amongst the other " griffs " * in the regiment were 

 several as keen on sport as myself, but beyond small game 

 and an antelope occasionally the sport we obtained 

 was not on a very extensive scale. To the station shikari, 

 however, we were the source of a good income, for taking 

 advantage of our unquenchable desire to bag something 

 really big, he was constantly arranging beats for various 

 tigers and leopards, none of which had any real existence, 

 nevertheless, the beaters had to be paid every time, and at 

 a rate which allowed of a goodly sum being pocketed by 

 the shikari. 



On one occasion I remember, he brought us news of a 

 big panther, supposed to be in a jungle some thirty miles 

 distant. This information being more than usually cir- 

 cumstantial, several of us decided to go after the beast, 

 fully convinced that we were at last to be recompensed for 

 all the disappointments we had suffered. 



On arrival at the jungle we found some two hundred 

 beaters assembled, and elaborate arrangements made for 

 a beat. The guns being duly posted, the beaters were 

 solemnly marshalled and went through the jungle to the 

 music of tom-toms and other noise-producing instruments 

 of various tones and power, making sufficient racket to 

 rouse any animal within five miles of the place, but without 

 any result, for there were none within that distance of the 

 spot. We tried a second time, but with no better success ; 

 finally we decided on following up what were stated to be 

 the animal's tracks, but had not proceeded very far, when 

 my orderly, who was something of a shikari himself, 

 suddenly burst out laughing. " Look, sahib," he exclained, 

 pointing to some foot-prints more perfect than the rest, 

 " those tracks are made by hand ! " and sure enough they 

 were, for looking at them closer, we now could see they had 

 been carefully prepared to represent the foot -prints of a 

 large panther. 



The shikari, finding himself detected, bolted at once ; 

 but furious at the trick he had played us, I ran after him, 



* Short for Griffen, meaning in Anglo-Indian parlance a Novice. 



11 



