A VILLAGE CUR AS BAIT 



the mere fact of taking my elephants through the jungle 

 was sufficient to scare the brute away. Many were the 

 leopards I obtained thus while on tour, and a tiger or two 

 occasionally, but these were rare events red letters, in 

 fact, some of which have been already chronicled, and 

 others will be in their turn. 



Three of these leopards I remember shooting one 

 morning before " chota hazri," and within half a mile 

 of the camp. I had been told on my arrival the day 

 before, that a leopard had been prowling round the village 

 for some days. Now, as it so happened, I had recently 

 been the victim of one or two false rumours as to the 

 presence of a leopard based on the fact of some villagers 

 having heard one calling for some nights and on this 

 occasion as there was but one small patch of grass jungle 

 near the village, I was not inclined to act on this 

 information. 



My sporting orderly, however, after inspecting this bit 

 of grass, reported that he had seen some crows hovering 

 over it, as if watching the movements of an animal within, 

 and suggested that a goat should be tied up near the 

 cover as a bait, which if taken, would keep the beast there. 

 I approved of this suggestion, and as a goat was not 

 available, procured an old, mangy village cur, which we 

 tied up before dark just outside the grass. This may seem 

 a cruel thing to do, but as the poor brute, besides being 

 eaten up with mange, was half paralysed and almost blind, 

 I felt less compunction than I would otherwise have done. 



The next morning early, mounting one of my elephants 

 and accompanied by the other to act as beater, I soon 

 reached the spot, to find the dog had disappeared, but 

 from some drops of blood on the ground there was little 

 doubt as to what had happened. Sending the other 

 elephant round to the opposite end of the grass, I entered 

 it at once. Following what seemed to be a recently made 

 track, my elephant had barely gone ten yards, trumpeting 

 and rumbling as it advanced, when I saw a leopard's head 

 pop up, and fired at it once. 



The next moment the animal appeared again a little 

 further off and stood for a few seconds exposing its head 

 and shoulders. I fired again, but with more deliberate 



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