The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-25
PANTHERS CUNNING
DECLARES HUNTER
Tells Of BOldness Displayed
By Big Cats
A NARROW ESCAPE
Turned to Find Animal Three Feet
From His Elbow--Sat and Faced
Each Other for Hours.
"Nussed Badly"
From the London Field.

From the London Field.
Although a big game shooters diary
generally shows monotonous register
OF game killed without any striking
events, yet there are red letter days
which are impressed on the memory
either by a narrow escape from a
wounded animal by the unusual bold
ness and cunning of the hunted quarry.
some years ago l was encamped In a
district which was seldom visited by Eu-
ropeans in India, and news was brought
10 me of large panther which had its
nome In some rocky hills not far from
my encampment. Many years exper-
lence with these wary animals had
build a machan at least day before
sitting up for them, SO one afternoon
proceeded to the hills, where the PAN
theirs den was pointed out to me.
scrutiny of the ground showed it to
be most unavoidable for securing a favor
BILE position. The cave in which the
panther had taken up his abode was at
the foot of some high. precipltous ba-
saltic rocks, where it was impossible TO
select site above the cave, while the
ground from the cave sloped steeply
downward to the valley beneath. and was
covered with large boulders interspersed
with scrub jungle
AS 1t was impossible to find a tree
strong enough to bear a machan. a plat
form raised about three feet from the
ground, so as to get a good view over
some boulders. had to be built, and this
was enclosed to the front and on both
sides by leaf screens After this was
built goat tied about % yards in
front of the machan in a position where
1t would be visible from the entrance OF
the cave.
Having seen to all the preparations I
returned to camp. and the next morning
the shikaris reported that the goat had
been killed.
At $3.50 D. M TaJam went 10 the place
and. as the goat had been almost entirely
devoured, another goat was tied. and the
shikari and myself took sour seats on the
platform. To my disgust / found that
the shikari had cold, and his sneezng
and coughing We're sufficient to drive
away any animal. /, therefore. sent him
away, and he had not been gone more
than ten minutes when l heard deep
growing behind me.
Turning around suddenly 7 saw a large
panther lying full length in the scrub
watching me- from. about three yards
distance. He Immediately made a couple
of bounds to the left of my macfan,
ing me and growing viciously. 1t was
impossible for me to shoot. as the leaves
In the screen to the left were too tightly
interaced to shoot even If the panther
would have remained until I could sight
the rife upon him. My only chance for
a shot was that he would pass along In
front of where | was sitting towards the
goat. This. apparently, he had no inten-
ton of doing. and we remained in our
respective positions until II was nearly
dark. when he quietly made of.
On whistling up my men ] told them
about the behavior of this panther. and
the shil<ari informed me that on leaving
he had met 1t about 90 yards from
where I was seated, and as 1t would not
move, he threw a stone at it, when it
skunk off. snarling and growing into the
jungle. As it was now quite dark un-
loaded my rifles and we proceeded to-
gether TO unite the goat. We had not
gone half dozen Yards when we heard
a struggle. The shikari and myself both
said that it was the panther at the goat,
but the other men would not have it. /,
however. reloaded. and as 1t was too
dark to see, advanced slowly to the goat.
On coming up to it we found 1t in its
last death struggle, the panther having
seized 1t by the neck as 1t rushed past.
AS | was leaving the next day I was
unable to sit up again for the panther
but the next year when | was at the
same place. | was told the panther was
stu there, so | again sat in the same
place. when the panther came early and
a right and left from a II smooth bore
loaded with Lyons lethal bullets enabled
me to add his skin to my trophies.
A second curious experience with pan
ther was within a couple of hundred
yards of the place where the last pam
ther was killed. Here the position was
the ground, but | took the precaution
4,
too a goat had not been tied up the pre-
vious night. so | had not much hope of
the panther coming before dark How
ever. ] took up my position with the
shikar early in the afternoon. At about
p m. the shikari, who was on my left,
touched me.
Wanted to Cough
For some time | could see nothing but
the shikari, with his eyes. showed me
that there was something to his left and
close to him. ! then through the screen
made out panther lying full length
close UP against the screen intently
watching the goat. which had not seen
him. did not know what the feelings of
the shikari were, but | expected him to
cough at any minute. as | myself felt
a most extraordinary inclination to do
So a feeling which Invariably comes over
one while waiting for a shot with nerves
At high tension.
Luckily both OF us managed 20 keep
quiet. and the panther. after making a
prolonged survey of his SUI roundings,
rushed upon the goat but to my intense
ANNOYANCE, the rope by which the goat
was tied snapped. and the panther, car
rying the goat. bounded bacl. right up
against the front of my screen. Luckily
the screen held The panther was as
startled as we were. and dropped the
goat However. we did not hear him
make off. so the shikari quietly raised
himself to look over the screen. when,
with another rush, the panther seized the
goat and bounded across the narrow
clearing with it. AS he did so fired with
the 500 cordite, and simultaneously the
goat was dropped in his tracks. Il
thought had hit him badly but found
afterward no sign of hit, and with dis
gust / had to write missed badly in my
diary that evening.
Give and Take