CAUTION UNHEEDED. 211 



necessity of extreme caution. He was not much of 

 a sportsman, and had no idea of rushing into 

 danger himself, or of allowing the youngster to do 

 so cither. They were obliged to separate, however ; 

 so, with strict injunctions to the lad to be very 

 careful, and get into a tree which he pointed out, 

 he established himself in a safe position on a rock 

 overlooking the whole place, in some part of which 

 the panther was lying. 



" S , as directed, went towards the tree ; but 

 he had only just got into it, when a sepoy came up 

 to him, and said he knew the very spot in which the 

 beast was, and could take him up to it. The lad 

 was greatly excited, and without the slightest hesi- 

 tation got out of his tree, and accompanied the 

 sepoy through the thick jungle. This was seen 

 by the colonel from his elevated position, and he 

 immediately shouted to S to know what he 

 was doing, and ordered him to return to the tree 

 immediately. 



"The youngster replied, without heeding the order 

 to return, that he wa.s going to kill the panther. 



" The old colonel, in great trepidation, and really 

 anxious for his young friend's safety, again shouted 

 to him. 



" ' Don't advance another step, sir,' he cried. 

 ' Return to your tree, or T will put you under arrest. 



