MY FIRST LEOPARD BAGGED 



moving through the jungle, and from the sounds becoming 

 fainter every moment, I judged he was going off. 



No sooner had I come to this conclusion than I descended 

 from my perch, and, in blissful ignorance of the danger I 

 incurred, was about to follow in his track. But it was now 

 too dark to see them, and I was compelled, fortunately, 

 to abandon the attempt, for it would, in all probability, 

 have ended more disastrously to myself than to the beast 

 I was intending to pursue ! 



In fact, as I look back upon this incident in the light 

 of subsequent experience, I can hardly believe it possible 

 that I could ever have contemplated anything so abso- 

 lutely idiotic as following a wounded panther in that light ! 

 However, I was much disgusted at the time, and groped 

 my way back to the bungalow, grumbling at what I then 

 considered my bad luck ! 



I returned early the next morning, and, hitting off the 

 trail at once, had hardly followed it twenty yards when I 

 came upon the panther lying stretched out in a glade, and 

 dead as Julius Caesar. I was naturally much pleased, for 

 this was the first large leopard I had " bagged ; " but my 

 joy was as nothing compared to my " boy's," who fairly 

 danced with delight. 



The beast had given him many a sleepless night, often 

 coming on to the verandah where he slept, and had once 

 even tried to get into his " den " ; beside, he had never 

 forgiven him for taking off my dog, to which he was 

 specially devoted. 



He was carrying my camera, and suggested that I 

 should " Make it picture of the beast," which I did, taking 

 him as he lay. We then measured him with the tape, and 

 found he was exactly seven feet two inches, but had 

 probably shrunk an inch or two in death. 



Some coolies had followed us, so, cutting a long pole, we 

 tied the legs of the brute together and carried him off in 

 triumph to the bungalow, where " I made picture of him 

 again " with " the boy " as one of its " supporters." 



73 



