Adventures in Many Lands

s and instances of occasions when the hunted, driven to desperation and enraged to fer

all parts of the world will concede that the pursuit of these animals is really more fraught with danger and hazard than that of even the tiger, lion, and elephant; and the fo

et a few days' leave and join him in a small shooting expedition into the jungles of southern India, where he was sure

iderable thing in India-and, accompanied by two Sikhs and a Rajput orderly, with horses, guns, rifles, and dogs galore

e rent roll and tribute of the villages therein comprised, is given to men whose services have deserved well of their State. Such are known as

f the year were covered with the green fruit. I was told that before the famine of 1898-99

is country, and in addition everything possible was done for our comfort, supplies of every description being at once forthcoming. So tenacious were the people of the

es, to attract the large Felid?, and ultimately met with success, for one morning we were having breakfast early when in trotted one of our Sikhs who had gone before the peep of dawn to look at the "kills." He reported t

wooded valley filled with the bastard teak, the strong-smelling moha-tree (from which th

Here and there, sometimes crossing our path, were the fresh footprints of deer and of antelope, of pig and the lordly sambar stag that had passed this way last night to drink at a time when the presence of man does not disturb the domain of the beasts of the forest.

the broken neck, the tail bitten off and flung aside, the hind-quarters partly consumed? No, for there are only the marks

beat would take. Here we were nonplussed, for the jungle was so dense and the configuration of the ground such that there wer

ld suit himself exceedingly well, we drew lots, and, contrary to my usual luck, I drew the longer of the

field of view you get. Accordingly, as there was a small tree near, I ascended, and, because the footing was precarious and the position unfavourable for a good shot, I buckled myself to a bough by means of one of my stirr

sturbed some animal. The shouting, cat-calling, and tom-tomming increased in violence, when all at once I heard a quick and rather hurried tre

hed head on in some long, dry grass. It

," thought I, and let it have my left barrel as it was mov

d on its right side. I howled to the beaters, who had now approached, to be careful, as a wounded panthe

ungle in front, apparently. So we began to cast around among the leaves. They at first yielded no betraying footmarks, b

e animal is badly hit and cannot have

nging round, I saw ten paces off Blake raise his rifle and fire two barrels, but, alas! appare

hit it without killing Blake?" I thought in an agony of uncertainty, but the hazard followed quick upon the thought, and bang, bang, went my two barrels. At the same time the Sikh dafadar,

shambled away. I threw down my own rifle and ran to Blake's a

Sikh's shot-gun was smashed to splinters, and Blake's rifle had fallen nobody knew where during the mêlée. But, fortunately for us, and more especially f

was very brave, though bleeding a lot, and walked with our assistance towards the village until one of the orderlies galloped up with the "charpai," or native bed, I had sent for immed

tarted for the railway, the nearest point of which was forty miles away, and reached it at five the next morning, having experienced thirtee

' teeth and claws, from their habit of killing their prey and leaving it exposed for a day to the

from the front left ribs to the left haunch; and that she was able to do all the damage she did testifies to the proverbial tenacity of lif

row escape from a panther in 190

es round Marpha, beasts of prey appear to have

wenty head of cattle have been killed by tigers and panthers at Marpha and near by. This is

i-a village close to us-came to me asking me to shoot a tiger

ger that had been at work. The place was in sight of the village and on the skirt of a forest. We had a "machan" (platform) in a

r a panther in the darkness. The animal was either too hungry to notice the shot, or had mistaken the sound for thunder. Later on the moon rose, and at half-past three in the morning a third shot took effect, for the animal went off ba

er! tiger!" bolted and ran off to the village as fast as his heels could carry him. I climbed back into the machan, to watch

ad heard. A tiger also was tracking the panther, who every now and then stood at bay and attacked it. After some time the tiger, no doubt hearing us, turned aside. Suddenly I saw the wounded animal scaling a tall and almost bran

rightened the panther, which fell in descending when some fifteen feet fro

the bed to the left. We turned to the right and skirted along the outside of the course, as it was not safe to go nearer. We all advanced until we nearly reached t

led back along the densely wooded watercourse and suddenly sprang out at me. I fired and stepped back, falling, as I did so, into the wa

, leaped out of the watercourse, ran towards the villagers, and fell down. They placed me on a charpoi, or native bed, and carried me to my bungalow three miles away. Expr

taking two and a half days, and since then, I am glad to say, I have been making a wonderful recovery. It is a great mercy that my arm had not to be amputated,

ger, or has died of its wounds. The villagers were far too scared to follow it up after my fall. Its bones, i

at unexpected conclusion, is narra

to the puma, or cougar, of North America. At one time this animal was as common all the country over as the fox is in England at present, and e

am about to relate, there were considerable numbers to be found in parts of the Alleghany Mou

made by the farmers of depredations among their sheep, by, as was supposed, some dog or dogs unknown. Hardly a morning came but some farmer or other found his flock reduced in this way, until the whole neighbourhood was roused to excited indignation against the whole dog

rookfield, at which it was resolved to offer a reward of two hundred dollars, "to any one killing the dog, or other animal, or giving such information as would lead to its discovery." The words "or other animal" had been inserted at the suggestion of a man who had heard unusual noises

s north of the village; but having an engagement at home in the afternoon, I left the party soon after one o'clock. When within

ut as it was so early in the season Vidler had not taken his few sheep into winter quarters. These I fo

tmarks of an animal resembling those of a dog, and which enabled me to follow the direction in which he had gone. It occurred to me at once that this was probably the work of the mysterious marauder. I knew of the reward of two hundred doll

ze of the animal's foot, and when I coupled that fact with the words in the offer of reward-"or o

good supply of ammunition, but after a moment or two of reflection I decided to suspend the p

so stirred the surrounding neighbourhood, it was enough for him that he was now among the victims, so he quickly went to the stables, or "ba

t the edge of the wood; but here our difficulty began, it being broken and

ned mounted, whilst I continued at his side. It was evident from the tremulous excitement and frequent sniffing of

ely scan for traces of the trail, when we were startled by a snarl, and just ahead, lying under the trunk of a big tree which had fallen across the dip, was a huge p

next she swung round, almost hurling Vidler from her back, and flew like the wind along the way by which we had come. Thoug

e aim and fire, and had I done so it would almost certainly have increased the

t prevented him from being thrown, and, holding on for dear life, I was dragged clear of danger. The suddenness of the movement jerked m

ge and organise a hunting-party. We made our way to the store of Wack Stillman, a favourite rendezvous for the loafers and off-works. Here we found Orson Clark, one of

ieving that we five were equal to it, we decided to keep

pon. Reaching the wood, we agreed that, after we had indicated the direction of the trail, Ors

e could hardly breathe, nor were we much relieved to find our quarry gone, as we could not tell at what step we might come

the air, and at the same time a shot rang out. As neither of our band had fired, we were puzzled to know what it

-year-old son of Orson Clark standing, with an old blunderbuss in his hands, in a trium

ean?" exclaimed his father

ted from his father was immediately aroused, and he determined to seek a share in the enterprise. Unobserved he took the old blunderbuss from its resting-place and slipped out of the hou

d no difficulty in attracting its attention, and, after contemplating each other for some moments, the savage brute was about to spring upon the boy as it gave

d by admiration at his pluck and thankfulness for his escape from almost certain death had the shot failed to reach a vital part. However, matt

ear the story. When the question came to be considered as to who was entitled to the reward of two hundred doll

tel in the village. He had it stuffed and placed in a large roo