32 THE PANTHER. 



reached the dak bungalow of Jahree, at the foot of the Deobund hill, and a few miles from 

 the new station of Chakrata which was then being built. We had with us a couple of 

 Ladak goats, which were tied up in the verandah. About dusk I was sitting in the bunga- 

 low when I heard a clattering noise outside, and on calling out to ask what was the matter, 

 I was informed by my servants that the goats had run down the hill. I sent after them, 

 and they were presently brought back, and I thought nothing more of the matter. A few 

 minutes afterwards my wife happened to go into the verandah, where she found splashes of 

 blood. She called me out to look at them, and we were puzzled to account for them. I then 

 thought of examining the goats, and I found that the blood was pouring from a wound in 

 the throat of one of the poor beasts. I now knew what had happened, and finding that the 

 goat was badly injured, I gave orders for it to be killed. It was now dinner time, and our 

 servants kept passing backwards and forwards between the bungalow and the cook-house, 

 which was only a few yards off. After dinner I got the dead goat and tied it to a heavy 

 log of wood which lay just outside the verandah. The road in front was only a few feet 

 wide, and then came a sunk fence, beneath which was the grassy slope of the hill-side. I 

 loaded my rifle, placed it in the corner of the room, and went to bed with very small 

 expectations of hearing anything more of the Panther. 



I had not been in bed more than five minutes before I heard the goat being dragged 

 away. I jumped up, seized the rifle, and ran out, but it was too dark to see anything. I 

 frightened away the Panther, however, and recovered the dead goat, which I replaced in the 

 old spot, set a lantern by it, and sat down just inside the door of the room. I had not sat 

 two minutes when the head and shoulders of the Panther appeared above the sunk fence. I 

 allowed him to walk up to the goat, and as he was about to carry it off, I shot him through 

 the heart. He was not four yards from the muzzle of my rifle, and he dropped dead. The 

 explosion put out the light, but on procuring another, we had the satisfaction of finding 

 a beautiful Panther lying by the body of the poor goat. He had a very handsome skin, 

 which I was much afraid would be spoiled, as the weather was very wet ; but thanks to the 

 kindness of a friend at Chakrata, it was taken the greatest care of, and I eventually had it 

 splendidly cured. 



Panthers wander about a great deal, and occasionally stray into places where they 

 are little expected. 



During the time that my Regiment was quartered at Meerut (in 1864 or 1865 — I forget 

 which) S. and F., two brother Officers of mine, were one day riding through cantonments 

 when they saw an animal cross the road and go into a garden. They rode up to see what 

 it was, but the beast had disappeared. They accordingly began hunting for it, and F. had 

 reached the last bush when a Panther rushed out of it. F. had just time to wheel his 

 horse round when the Panther sprang upon its hind quarters, seized F. by the arm, and 

 pulled him off. The Panther then retreated into the garden, and F. having picked himself 

 up, rode off to hospital, where his wounds were dressed. He had been badly bitten through 

 the elbow, and had some claw marks on his sides. In the meantime S. had managed to 

 procure a gun, and, accompanied by an Englishman who had formerly been a soldier, 



