The Portland daily press., 1894-11-03
A MAN EATING PANTHER.
Staying of the Terror of an Indian
Community.

A Beast That Is Even More Fearful TIL an
the Man Eating Tiger-The Interesting
Narrative of a Hindoo Hunter.
The sun saEk behind the blue hills. and
on their eastern side the shadows of night
dor there is no twilight in the tropics
were falling fast, as Podam Singh strobe
up from a nala that lay beneath the terrace
where our texts stood and made his salaam.
MAY your seravnt find favor" he said.
g beg to represent that my eyes have seen
the tracks. Shall 1 defile my lips with
falsehood, and say they We're made by that
accused one whom your highness seek
Ull-humd- ul-illa. God forbid l am a
stranger summoned by my lords. Whether
it was panther or tigress, of which these
were the pugs, how can | say, who know
not this beast2 The sahibs will bear witness
If l lie. tigress might have drank from
the pool, or the spotted devil, even this
man-eater himself. If I have not known how
the footprints were made in what way shall
your servant recognize itY''
1t was true enough. There was no shaI per
or better tn ined sight gin Central India
than that of Po'dam singh, but no man can
distinguish, on a trail observed for the
first time, between the track of large male
panther and that of tigress. There IS,
who ever, physiognomy, SO to speak IN
footprints, and if such shika1i as he VINO
smoke, once identified an animal with its
pugs, they would be known again for GER
tain. Something is in those impressions
that civilized men do not see.
The deeds of the brute we sought are
green in the memories of this people. Its
ravages were of a kind not easily forgotten
even among Hindus. When a pant her
takes to man-eating,' says Captain James
Forsyth, speaking of this same animal, 'he
is far worse than tiger" Every hunter
of large game is we'll aware that of all great
cats ii is the bravest. most stealthy and dar-
ing, most enterprising and cunning, the
hardest to find and bring to bay, the most
desperate and determinedit if makes stand.
For mere than year this one had SO acted
that all within the region its depredations
lived ever in the shadow of DEATH The
beast sprang upon husbandm Ell from milk
bushes fringing the paths leading to their
,bajree and millet fields. it slaughtered the
OAA
his way, the gwalla with his he'd. No wonn-
an drew water alone at the village we'll
except at the peril OF her life. No watchers
gathered on those high platforms built
among CROPS n order that animals invad-
ing them nj hi be scared away, without ex-
pecting to see the panther's fatal form
appear among them, When, with barbaric
musie. the guard was set in gate towers,
none knew what night befall at his home
hat r.i.;bt. The ordinary defensive works
OF an indian village were no protection.
Those fruil wills and 1irGsy apertures be-
longing 10 Hindu dwellings could not keep
the panther uut. and in ops n settlements it
WAS worse still A wife awakened by the
ccnvulsive movements of her husband.
found this iestroyer's fangs fixed in lis
throat fling cutlery. If his attack fail "a
he swept around the TANKS of the frantic
crowd that soon gathered and seized some
one else. All this may be heard i'll seolis.
all OF it car be read in Official reports. The
creature killed more than a hundred huma n
beings.
We waited for him on machans b lit by
paths shikaris swore lie was certain TO pass.
We lay in searns ne4r water holes, where
he Was aocust omed to drink. Jungles
were beaten with elepha nts. grass lands
secured. fores searched, and small armies
of natives passed through suspected ravines
with bomis and rockets. tom toms and
cholera horns, and all the hideous uproar
they were capable of making. For six
weeks we sought this monster, spa1ing
neither OF rs Ives nor others. and nothing
came OF it but disappointment and exhaus-
His ars han
by good luck sol+ly. handful of scrap iron
was fired into him by village shikari.
LALL CHOWDAR'5 STORY.
Lall Chowdar told how it occurred in the
following manner:
Truly, when Rang olam, my mothers
brother, was slain, my heart failed. RAM
golam WAS just man. but his household
were fools. They reviled me, saying.
ouba, touba! shamei shamei Behold the
dog who pretends to be our defender ag ainst
wild BEAST whilst his relations perish! May
he be accursed! The woman cast dust upon
their heads and sat at me, crying, go forth.
oh, coward! There are many who know
that your servant sought this beast void
of religion, and which could not be found.
with diligence. Yet my spirit was oppressed,
going about two cos from the village into
forest lanl. In those woods there was ST
lence, but for the sound of an AK, and this
stopped suddenly. Who am |, oh, protector
of the poor. hat should know why fear
came upon me there, and chill. as if the icy
wind of death were blowing. ! ascended a
tree with haste, and sitting OF high I saw
him. lie sucked the GlooG of Cnetoo, the
woodcutter. crouching on his body.
"Aiyah! This son of Satan was too far
off. His head turned from me and he could
lot be killed. 1t was my destiny. When he
departed followed, knowing it was not his
custom to return to those he had killed
The trail was long, but he went to nala
in which were caves, and could see that
which lie made his den
Was | not powerless, being but single
man, and with that evil one having the ad-
avntage of place. 1t was pretended by Alb
dullah Khan that he would have waited
and fred upon the panther as he came
forth. How should | do this thing when
the ground in front Was bare. and cover
and likewise trees were wanting? Truly
l would have been his sacrifice if he hal
come out. Therefore, went away to the