THE PANTHER. 33 



proceeded to beat for the Panther. It was now nearly dark, but they obtained torches, and 

 after some rather exciting work they shot the Panther dead in the act of charging. He had 

 a beautiful skin with the rose-shaped spots described as being characteristic of the largest 

 ' Panthers. 



On another occasion when my Regiment was marching down country near Kurnal, 

 our Paymaster and a soldier servant who accompanied him, came upon a Panther in long 

 grass and actually succeeded in killing it with small shot, but not without a tough fight, 

 during which the soldier got severely clawed. It was a plucky but dangerous experiment 

 to try. 



I was staying at the hill station of Murree during the hot season of 1874, and knowing 

 that there were a good many Panthers in the neighbourhood, I employed a man to go 

 about and bring me news of cattle and goats having been recently killed. On the 10th of 

 July he came in and informed me that a Panther had early that morning carried off a goat 

 out of a sheep-fold about six miles from Murree : the carcase, of which very little had been 

 eaten, was discovered in the jungle not far off, and the remains had been hung up in the 

 fork of a tree. It was about four o'clock when I got the news, but I at once started and 

 reached the place about an hour before dusk. I immediately procured a kid and tied it up 

 on the spot where the dead goat had been found, which was a small open space on the 

 edge of a densely wooded ravine. Sending away my Shikari I sat down behind a bush 

 about fifteen yards from the kid, and made up my mind for a tedious watch. I had not 

 waited more than a quarter of an hour when a small round head appeared above the edge 

 of the ravine, and in another moment the whole animal came in sight, and I saw that it was 

 a cub. It was quickly followed by three others ! and all four stood looking at the kid, 

 which was naturally in a great fright. In another moment the old Panther sprang out of 

 the jungle, made a pat at the kid, and then crouched by its side. If there had been more 

 space, I should have waited and watched the Panther's proceedings, but as I was afraid 

 that she would drag the goat into the jungle, I fired at her at once, and immediately jumped 

 up so as to see above the smoke. The Panther sprang into the air, fell backwards, and then 

 disappeared among the bushes. I followed her tracks, and found her lying dead about one 

 hundred yards down the hill. She only measured six feet four inches in length, but the 

 skin was a good one. I had intended to have slept in the open, but a heavy thunderstorm 

 came on which compelled me to take shelter in a cow-house where I was nearly devoured 

 by fleas. 



Two of the cubs, which had vanished when I fired, were caught and brought into Murree 

 about a fortnight afterwards. The poor little beasts were nearly starved, but they soon recovered 

 with good feeding, and although rather savage at first, they gradually became perfectly tame. 

 One was for a long time in my possession, and was as quiet and playful as a kitten. It was 

 chained up, and was great friends with a little terrier, though it would kill any other dog that 

 ventured within its reach. It at last became so powerful, that I feared it might kill or 

 seriously injure one of my children, so I reluctantly gave it away. 



On the nth of September I went out in the afternoon to look for Kakur in the forest 



E 



