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CHAPTEE XXV. 



SPOET WITH PANTHERS AND LEOPARDS — {contiliuecl). 



NEWS OF A PANTHER AND TWO LEOPARDS — SHIKARIE SUBBA — A FRIEND'S ILL LUCK 

 — THE MADERHULLY GARDEN — ARRANGE PLANS FOR DRIVING THE PANTHER AND 

 LEOPARDS — THE HOLOYA CASTE — THE NATIVE BEER OF MYSORE — INVEST IN A 

 DONKEY — THE BEAT — SHOOT THE LEOPARDS — THE PANTHER's CUNNING RUSE — 

 A SUDDEN EVICTION — SHOOT THE PANTHER — A GOOD BAG BEFORE BREAKFAST — 

 GOVERNMENT REWARD FOR SHOOTING PANTHERS AND LEOPARDS — CIRCUMVENTING 

 CUNNING PANTHERS — OUR EARS DECEIVE US — MY LAST MEETING WITH A PANTHER 

 — HIS STRANGE BEHAVIOUR — THE INTERVIEW TERMINATES UNSATISFACTORILY. 



ONE of my most fortunate days with panthers and leopards occurred in 

 May 1872, when I had the hick to hag three hefore hreakfast. I 

 happened to be stationed at the time at a place called Nursipoor, in a part 

 of Mysore where, as there were no jungles near, there was very little 

 game, so I had no better amusement for my spare hours than shooting the 

 few antelope that were to be found, and crocodiles in the Hemavati river. 

 I was therefore gratified at the intelligence brought to me one morning by 

 a man named Subba, a local shikarie, that he had heard that some panthers 

 had been long established near a village called Maderhully, tliirty miles 

 from Nursipoor, and he proposed that we should take an early opportunity 

 of looking them up. Native report is not always reliable however, so I 

 sent Jaffer with Subba to make more careful inquiries. Tliey returned in a 

 few days with a satisfactory report ; but as my duties did not admit of my 

 beating up tlie pantliers' quarters just at that time, I sent Subba to live at 

 Miiderliully till I could take a lioliday, and to learn all he could the wliile 

 about the panthers' goings and comings. Subba was one of tlie few natives 

 one meets with who have the English love of roving, and unconcern for 

 liome ties. To tlie ordinary Hindoo, house and family are all in all. 

 Even when in-essed by such exigency as starvation he prefers to die in 



