210 
AFRICAN HUNTING. 
down ; he got his back to the tree, fought manfully, 
keeping all at bay until I got up, when they rushed 
in and worried him, some of them getting tremen¬ 
dous bites in the encounter. 
One day, when hartebeest-hunting at Bushman’s 
Kiver on horseback, I came on a panther in a valley, 
and he immediately crouched. I sent my companion 
for P., an old experienced hunter, whilst I kept 
watch, as we were both quite green at this kind of 
game. On going towards him with all the dogs, he 
jumped up in full view of the pack, with 150 yards 
start, over a bare country, and we had a splendid 
run at a great pace. On the dogs almost reaching 
him he turned the tables on them with a vengeance, 
charging them with such right good will as to scatter 
them to the winds. They returned, however, to the 
pursuit, and eventually brought him to bay among 
some rocks half way up, where he got his back 
against an overhanging one, and kept all the pack at 
a respectable distance. 
The pace had been too good for P., or the swamps, 
bogs, and holes not to his liking, as he was some time 
in coming up. He did so, however, at last, and, after 
giving me some good advice as to what I must do 
in case of a charge, we dismounted and advanced to¬ 
gether to the foot, when, dropping on one knee, P. 
fired, striking him in the centre of the chest and kill¬ 
ing him on the spot. The dogs rushed in manfully 
then, and we skinned him very carefully, I thinking 
all the time what care he was taking of it for me, 
