210 THE EASTERN HUNTERS. 



fall. Then arose a yell of wonder and delight At 

 the very feet of the terror-stricken men the panther 

 had fallen, stone dead, shot in the air like a quail. 

 Poor L 's snap shot had fortunately taken instant 

 effect ; the bullet passing through the brain. After 

 he went up to the beast, and was congratulating 

 himself on the narrow escape of the men, he 

 observed that all, as they came up, prostrated them- 

 selves before him, muttering brief invocations as 

 they did so. In fact, the quickness and precision 

 of the shot, so wonderful to them, and the sudden 

 preservation of their comrades from death, made 

 them look upon him as a god ; and they made 

 reverence to him accordingly." 



" Ay, I recollect hearing something of that soon 

 after I joined," observed Norman. "But do you 

 remember that other panther affair which happened 

 somewhere about the same time, that of S 

 and the colonel ? " 



" 1 never heard it," said Hawkes. " What 



j o 

 was it { 



- had only been with the regiment a short 

 time then, and went out one day with the colonel 

 after a panther which they had heard of. They had 

 a few sepoys with them, T believe, with their 

 muskets. Well, the beast got wounded, and the 

 old colonel impressed on his young subaltern the 



