104 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



distant, to have his wounds dressed. We found 

 another among the list of wounded a small boy 

 about ten, who had got an ugly scratch down his 

 posterior from the panther during her first rush 

 out ; but he was a plucky little chap, pooh-poohed 

 his hurt, said he c was going to be a shikari some 

 day, and mustn't mind a scratch like that ;' and 

 he did not, and went on beating all day. Need- 

 less to say, he was not forgotten at pay-time. 



The ' caster ' was soon caught, and, with his 

 reputation made, was led back to camp, though 

 I did not say anything of how the brute ' cut it ' 

 at a critical moment. We then went on and had 

 a beat for hog, and accounted for three, and I 

 managed to get one first spear. The * caster's ' 

 owner went back to look for the panther's cubs. 

 He came across one lying under some thorns over 

 a bank, and, as he was on foot, tried to catch it 

 by taking off his coat and throwing it over it ; 

 but, the dear old gentleman's specs coming off at 

 the critical moment, he made a bad shot, missed 

 getting the cub, and only instead got his face, 

 hands, and knees full of thorns. Such was my 

 last bit of shikar in the i gorgeous East ' a good 

 termination, I think you will allow, reader, to 

 some few years of varied sport, good fellowship, 

 and happy youth. 



I cannot, I think, conclude these lines more 



