THE BITER BIT 



when encamped with my chief, Probyn, at Pansumbal 

 [Native States), we captured something larger, though not 

 quite the sort of creature we wanted to entrap. 



We had baited the trap one evening with a goat, and 

 had set it near a path leading to the village where on the 

 previous day we had seen the tracks of a large panther. 

 Ihe chances of our capturing him were therefore fairly 

 ?ood, but as we knew the beast was not likely to take the 

 bait till late at night we retired to bed at our usual time. 



We had been asleep some hours when about midnight 

 we were awakened by the most imearthly screams, and 

 thinking some one had been seized by the panther, we 

 jumped out of bed, turned out our police guard, and 

 arming ourselves \\-ith guns and spears, we ran to the 

 spot whence the sounds proceeded. 



What was our amazement on arrival to find a wretched 

 Bhil firmly fixed between the jaws of the trap. He turned 

 out to be one of the villagers, who, on hearing the bleating 

 of the goat, thought he might as well appropriate it, and 

 had thus been actually caught in the very act. 



It was truly a case of " the biter bit ; " fortunately he 



was not severely hurt, though one of the long spikes had 



oed the calf of his leg. He was fortunate, too, in 



L,' rescued at once, for had the panther come up when 



he was in this plight, he might easily have fallen a victim 



to the beast. 



On relating the incident next morning to a petty chief 



•pened to be visiting our camp, he quite seriously 



d, " What a pity, Sahib, you released the man, 



ic would have made a fine bait for the panther." How- 



< » > i , as our visitor was under the influence of opium at 



the time, it is only fair to assume that this somewhat 



suggestion was the outcome of a mind 



ior the moment. 



( )n another occasion this same individual while again 



^ nj.A'ing a i)eriod of temporary mental aberration, due 



to the same cause, suddenly developed an apparently 



istible desire to hack a dead bear to pieoes with his 



id. His intention was fortunately discovered, but 



only just in time to prevent an unusually fine trophy being 



ruined. 



148 



