THE TIGER 131 



waterfall tumbling from some rocks in a ravine. 

 Instinctively I pulled up to have a look ; it was 

 just the place for a panther to lie up in. While 

 glancing about, I suddenly caught sight of what 

 looked like the upper part of the head and the 

 two ears of a panther sticking out of the long 

 grass on the hillside some forty yards or so above 

 us. But it might have been the stump of a tree. 

 Not wishing to disturb the ground unnecessarily, 

 I had recourse to my binoculars, and as soon as 

 I had got the glasses on the spot, saw that my 

 first impression was correct. There was the 

 panther sitting staring at us, its body concealed 

 in the grass but nose and ears visible. I handed 

 the glasses to the tracker, and brought the rifle 

 to my shoulder ; but before I could draw a bead 

 on the beast, it had slunk away in the long 

 grass. I climbed the hill after it, hoping to 

 find it looking at us again; but it had vanished 

 for good. 



The other occasion was when after rhino in 

 independent territory. It was very confusing 

 at the time. We had just crossed early in the 

 morning a broad stream with dense jungle on 

 either bank, when we heard what we took to be 

 the trumpeting of elephants on the opposite bank 

 about 300 yards farther down. I had no doubt 

 in my mind as to the noise being made by ele- 

 phants, nor had my trackers — both experienced 

 men who had been after elephants times without 



