150 DAYS AND NIGHTS OF SHIKAR 



them of a panther that had been committing great 

 depredations among the flocks and herds. He had 

 grown so bold that he had come into the middle of 

 the village one night and stolen a calf. All the 

 people would give every assistance if we would 

 come, they were so anxious to be rid of him. We 

 tied up for several nights before the goat was killed. 

 I went to look early one morning and found the 

 panther had only just left as I came up : the goat 

 was still warm and had only a small fillet bitten out 

 of its shoulder. A ladder was put over the kill at 

 once to be ready for the evening, and I went down to 

 sit up about five o'clock : the place was very close 

 to the village, so he could not be expected to come 

 very early. The sun set, silence settled down and 

 everything was very still for an hour or more. 

 Suddenly the silence was broken by a curious scream, 

 something like a child's but not quite like, and some 

 very sad cries followed by wailing weird sounds 

 they were. A monkey, not far away, too, said angry 

 words. There was another long wait, and then I saw 

 in the moonlight an indistinct shadow steal up to the 

 goat : it was the panther, and without a moment's 

 pause he began to tear away at the flesh. I did not 

 give him time to finish his supper and he very soon 

 lay dead. The whole village turned out to see him, 

 and he was carried back to camp, a crowd surrounding 

 and a long procession following him, all abusing him 

 and calling him murderer, thief, rascal, badmash, 

 every bad name they could think of. 



This is quite an ordinary story, but what was 

 curious about it was the cries I heard and that I 



