TIGER SLAYER BY ORDER 



Presently a single jackal appeared and giving a quick 

 pull at the corpse as quickly slunk away, looking continu- 

 ally behind him. Just then I saw a huge panther coming 

 stealthily along among the bushes, fringing the nullah 

 banks, and halting about fifteen yards off, stood gazing 

 intently in my direction. I thought at first it was a tiger, 

 so enormous did the beast appear in the moonlight, and 

 I was meditating whether to fire or let him come closer, 

 when he again crept forward, and then stood facing me 

 about five yards off. Now was my chance, and aiming 

 very deliberately at his chest I pulled the trigger slowly. 

 Acknowledging the shot with a loud roar he plunged into 

 the thicket where he now remained though hidden from 

 my sight. 



That he was hit I had no doubt, for presently there 

 issued from the covert a succession of low groans with an 

 occasional deep coughing sigh, and although I could not 

 see him, I guessed from the sound that my bullet had done 

 its work. My men on hearing the report of the rifle now 

 came up with lighted torches, all keen to advance into the 

 jungle, but I would not allow them to embark on such a 

 dangerous task by night, for though almost convinced the 

 beast was dead, the risk seemed too great. 



By the first streak of dawn we were up and on our way 

 to the jungle, where, on arrival, I was startled to find the 

 corpse, or what remained of it, had disappeared. Could 

 it be that I had missed the beast after all, or that he had 

 again returned to his kill and completed his dreadful 

 feast ? I hardly thought it possible, and yet it seemed 

 unpleasantly like it. Happily a closer examination proved 

 to us that it was the hyenas and jackals who had been 

 feasting on the remains, for the footprints of these animals 

 were plainly visible all round. 



But the tracks of the panther too were there, which 

 we now took up, and, aided by the blood, of which there 

 was a quantity on the trail, we soon came up to him, lying 

 stone dead in a bush. 



On examining the body I found my express bullet had 

 struck him exactly in the centre of the chest, smashing 

 the heart and lungs to pieces. 



He measured just seven feet eight inches from tip of 

 132 



