PANTHER SHOOTING 



our bedroom, " Midge " was missing, and upon our 

 sending out to search for her she was found at 

 Mrs. M.'s. The last time " Midge" had seen the 

 children, they were living at a distance of twenty- 

 seven miles from the town. 



As an illustration of the caution which should be 

 exercised in following up a wounded panther, I will 

 relate an episode which occurred in the Hunsur 

 jungles of the Mysore district. I had gone out 

 with another gun to beat, purely on the chance, as 

 we had no definite information of tigers or panthers 

 at the time. Two or three beats had proved fruit- 

 less, nothing fit to shoot having been seen, and we 

 had arrived at the last beat for the day. I was on 

 the right, and my companion about fifty yards off 

 to my left. The beat came on, and at last I heard 

 a shot from the left, instantly followed by strong 

 language from a panther who was quite invisible, 

 but was evidently rushing across between us. Then 

 all was still. I got down and went over to my com- 

 panion's post. He was a man whose nerves did not 

 admit of his being on the ground when there was 

 any fear of a wounded feline being yet alive. He 

 stuck to his elevated post, but told me what had 

 occurred. I went a little way into horribly thick 

 stuff to investigate, and found blood. I then 

 decided to try a cast round in more open jungle, 

 in order to ascertain whether the wounded beast 

 had left the place or no. I made a tour of explora- 

 tion by myself, but kept to open ground, and, 

 finding no track leading out, I went back and 

 called up the men my companion then came and 



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