PANTHERS. 43 



In those days the Hyderabad State Bailway had not 

 even been commenced the nearest station being at 

 Sholapore, 200 miles distant, by a bad road ; nor were the 

 cavalry and artillery barracks completed at Bolarum. An 

 officer of the Boyal Engineers, who was employed in the 

 Public Works Department, had made arrangements for 

 setting panther traps in the jungle -covered tracts of 

 country ten miles north of Trimulgherry (famous as being 

 the haunt of the terrible man-eater of Bogarum). They 

 were strongly constructed, on the box trap principle, and 

 baited with a kid or pariah dog. When a panther was 

 caught, the traps were lifted on to a country cart, and 

 brought bodily into Cantonments. On more than one 

 occasion three panthers were thus brought in, and two at a 

 time were by no means uncommon, as at least half a dozen 

 traps were always kept set. The majority of animals 

 caught were leopards about 30 per cent, only being 

 panthers proper the hunting leopard was never taken in 

 these contrivances. Word was then immediately sent 

 round to the several regiments, stating the time and place 

 at which the captives would be enlarged for spearing 

 purposes. 



On arrival at the meet, which was usually on the 

 open ground north of Chota Mowl Ali where the 

 cavalry barracks now stand, all competitors were placed 

 under the command of an experienced pig- sticker, whose 

 functions were to see that nobody started until he gave 

 the command to " Bide," by which time the panther wa> 

 generally about fifty yards clear of the trap, and one 

 hundred yards from the spears, which usually numbered a 

 dozen. 



Of course the first spear was the desideratum of 

 all, and this was taken time after time by the sons of the 



