WILD DOGS AND HYAENAS. 271 



One of the greatest starts I ever got in my 

 life was occasioned by a hyaena, and the scene to 

 anyone who could have been a spectator must 

 have been intensely ludicrous. 



When out with Captain Clay of my regiment 

 during the hot weather of 1870, we were en- 

 camped at a place called Pangurjerrie at least, 

 we dined and slept there, having sent on the 

 tents to another place called Seoni. We had some 

 panther-traps with us, enormous gins, which we 

 used occasionally to bait with offal of any deer 

 we might have shot, in the hopes of catching a 

 panther. In this, however, we were unsuccessful, 

 though we had caught three or four hyaenas. On 

 the night in question one of these traps had been 

 set in a nullah one hundred and fifty yards from 

 our beds. At about twelve o'clock, when it was 

 pitch dark, I was awoke by the clanking of a chain, 

 accompanied by much snarling and growling, 

 proceeding from the spot where the trap had been 

 set. Immediately fancying that this time it must 

 be a panther in the trap, I jumped out of bed, 

 and hastily putting on my slippers, and catching 

 up a hog-spear, I shouted to Clay to follow me 

 with some of our servants, and a torch. I got to 

 the spot, and just distinguished a dark mass tum- 

 bling about in the nullah, and soon after Clay 

 and the servants were seen approaching with a 



