142 Leaves from an Indian Jungle. 



discern the faint white of the brute's chest at that very short 

 range, bang I went a charge of slugs. Silence. A few 

 minutes later a furious tugging commenced, and again the 

 white patch showed dully under the trees. Bang! again 

 without result. After this we went home. During the 

 night which made the third time of his bold return to 

 the "kill" the panther polished off both the goat and the 

 remains of the cow, after which feat of gormandizing he 

 left the tracks of his very comfortable , and leisurely retreat 

 up at last the fatal glen. Informed of this, I drove out 

 next day, and on reaching the Dhar khora found my flat- 

 faced Korkus ready posted for the familiar silent beat. 

 At the very last moment the panther turned sulkily out of 

 the last bit of cover, and slunk off round a corner- for all 

 the world like a cat detected at the cream jug presenting 

 however no shot, as he turned up among the boulders of a 

 dry watercourse at right angles to the main ndla. 



A stiff climb and detour placed me once more above his 

 second line of retreat, and this time we all felt sure of him. 

 However, the beaters came on slowly and thoroughly, arriv- 

 ing just below my post without any result. This was 

 extraordinary ; and an animated exchange of signals was in 

 progress when there came a low whistle from my old order- 

 ly far below. He had disturbed the panther, which 

 must have squatted in some hole and let the other men pass 

 right over him, 



Now the brute came gliding and leaping up towards me 

 in that peculiarly heavy lumbering way which so often 

 misleads one into under-estimating the panther's pace. By 

 this time the Korkus had climbed out of the watercourse, 

 which at this spot is practically a succession of dry 

 water-shoots, as it falls precipitously from the encircling 

 cliffs to the glen below. 



