SOME TIGER AND PANTHER STORIES 37 



he did not know. The mahout said it was a pig, 

 and the yokel was reassured, and we proceeded. 

 Before we had gone far Mihtab Khan, who was 

 looking backwards along the path, said that a 

 panther was following us. The mahout, who had 

 had much experience of shikar, did not agree ; 

 but I thought that in the gathering gloom I 

 could see something, and accordingly stopped 

 the elephant and turned it round. We then 

 tied the goat on the path a few paces from the 

 head of the elephant and waited. We had not 

 waited more than a few seconds when a panther 

 charged down the path, straight for the elephant. 

 It was dark, but I might have had a fair shot at 

 him as he came, but thought that he would check 

 for a moment on seizing the goat, and that I 

 would then have a better chance. In his rush, 

 however, he swept the goat off the path into 

 the jungle on the right, and I was obliged to fire 

 into the bushes. The shot made the panther 

 drop the goat, which was still living, but had no 

 other effect. As I fired I heard a rustle in the 

 forest on the left of the path. There evidently, 

 therefore, were two panthers. Being suspicious 

 perhaps of a trap, they did not attack the 

 goat while I was waiting in the machan ; but, 

 when they saw the goat being taken away, their 

 hunger got the better of their caution. One 

 of them tried first to intimidate the yokel, 

 who was leading the goat, by jumping out on 

 to the path in front of him ; and then the 

 attempt was made to carry off the goat froin 

 the close proximity of the elephant. Panthers 

 are sometimes exceedingly daring, and when 



