Panthers and Leopards (Asiatic]. 291 



lous, and I followed mile upon mile for I should say 

 four or five miles almost in a straight line. The trail 

 then turned into the densest jungle, through which 

 it was impossible to go upright, so I had to crawl 

 upon all fours and every now and then came upon 

 the half-digested remains of the native which the 

 brute had thrown up. The stench along this path 

 was awful, covered with their excreta, bones and 

 human remains. I knew, therefore, we were not far 

 from their lair and stronghold. This tangled brake 

 only extended about three-quarters of a mile, and 

 then we entered a glade which was covered by an 

 immense banyan tree and its offshoots. I should 

 say that it and its belongings covered ten or twelve 

 acres. It was impossible to distinguish the parent 

 stem from those which had grown from it ; many, 

 probably the oldest, had decayed away, but sufficient 

 remained to show that this extraordinary growth had 

 its origin in one tree, which throwing out feelers from 

 the pendant branches had taken root, became in their 

 turn the trunk, and so went on multiplying until this 

 huge space was entirely under shade of one tree and 

 its satellites, as there was very little undergrowth. 

 The path made during many years by these blood- 

 thirsty felines was clear enough, leading to two old 

 hollow trunks into which the wounded panther and 

 his companion had crawled. Man-eaters are generally 

 cowards. How many there were I did not know, 

 but I determined to burn them out. So bidding the 

 people collect all the dry brushwood they could, I 

 mounted guard over the one which, by the drops of 

 blood which had fallen, I guessed held the wounded 

 beast. 



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