208 SPORT IN BENGAL. 



laid in after them as hard as we could with loud tally-ho's, 

 and overtaking them in a few hundred yards, caused them to 

 separate ; the female, turning sharply to the left, was pursued 

 by a mob of yelling natives armed with bamboo-staves and 

 blunt spears, while the male, a longer and lustier beast, to 

 which we stuck close, made straight for the open, covering 

 the ground with long bounds at an amazing speed for full 

 quarter of a mile, when G.'s horse, with its superior stride on 

 a level course, laid his rider alongside the chase, and gave 

 him a chance, which he missed by a foot or two, and passing 

 on was followed by the panther, which now appeared to 

 realize what we would be at. The Waler escaped a mauling 

 by the length of his tail, which seemed to be in his pur- 

 suer's mouth for an instant or two, and now coming up, I 

 succeeded in pricking the beast in the shoulder, but he 

 nearly struck the spear out of my grasp as I flew past him. 

 P. next charged the panther, which went at him open- 

 mouthed, uttering terrible growls, and so startled the " Araby 

 Maid " that she swerved sharpty to the left as P. leaned to 

 the right to deliver his spear, and in an instant he flew over 

 her head, and lighted on the ground close to the panther. 

 Fortunately for him, Pard, disdaining to pounce upon a pros- 

 trate foe, bounded after the mare, and very nearly reached 

 her quarters. 



By this time the Waler and " Goldenrein " had become 

 excited and alarmed by the angry grunts and growls of this, 

 to them, quite a novel kind of adversary, and were being 

 wheeled round to renew the combat. P. remained on the 

 ground, lying as flat as he could, squinting over his arm with 

 one eye at his late opponent now in full career after the mare. 

 The panther relinquishing the chase now trotted off towards 

 a grass field, into which he disappeared before we were able 

 to overtake him. 



The situation had now improved for the panther, but was 

 much worse for us, since we could neither see him, nor guess 

 where he was crouching. Rapidly it was arranged that I 

 should charge through the grass-field, followed at an interval 



