PANTHEKS. 41 



hen roosts, and were often shot in the act, for if their first 

 visit was successful they were certain to return, when a 

 charge of large shot out of a smooth bore was generally 

 efficacious, the range being short, and the danger of bullets 

 Hying about cantonments being thus obviated. Our 

 sentries often fired at them at night, but never with any 

 result beyond that of scaring the intruder. On these 

 occasions they were always described as being tigers of 

 prodigious size and terrific aspect. 



When I joined my regiment there in 1867, the place 

 might be described as " jungly," the intrenchments had 

 not been constructed, so there was no obstacle to prevent 

 wild animals from wandering through the lines at night 

 at their own sweet will.* 



In those days, our senior captain was our leading 

 regimental sportsman ; he was master of the Secunderabad 

 hounds, and, in addition, had a private pack consisting of 

 several courageous pariahs (curs), and some half-bred bull 

 dogs. With these, we used to draw the caves in the 

 isolated hills adjoining Cantonments, and frequently found 

 and had good sport with panthers, cheetahs, and hyenas ; 

 the sportsmen being posted on " coigns of vantage " near 

 the caves, the dogs were loosed, and very soon found out 

 any lurking janwar (wild beast). 



It resembled ferreting rabbits on a large scale, 

 tremendous barking and subterranean convulsions being 

 followed by the burst of the panther, with the uninjured 

 members of the pack in hot pursuit. Those who got the 

 chance then loosed off their rifles, as it was invariably snap 



* A large tract of scrub jungle lies five miles north of 

 Trimulgherry, which is connected with a rocky ridge in Canton- 

 ments, by mango and toddy topes, and isolated patches of 

 jungle; the panthers were supplied from that district. 



