Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1913-05-16
CUNNING PANTHER
Experience of Hunter In Unfre.
quented Indian Jungle.
GOATS SERVE AS DECOYS,
How One Big Beast Is Laid Low In an
Extraordinary Manner, While An
other Makes Off With Its Prey UnA
harmed.

other Makes Off With Its Prey UnG
harmed.
Although a big game shooters diary
generally shows a 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 or by the unusual bold
ness and cunning of the hunted quarry.
Two such days, when panthers showed
remarkable want of fear Of human
beings. are recorded by Dibra Singh in
the London Field.
Some years ago. says the writer, I
was encamped in a district which was
seldom visited by Europeans in India,
and news was brought to me of large
panther which had its home in some
rocky hills not far from our encamp-
ment. Many years experience with
these wary animals had taught me that
it was necessary to build machan at
least a day before sitting up for them,
SO one afternoon / proceeded to the
hills, where the panthers den was
pointed out to me.
AS it was impossible to find a tree
strong enough to bear machan, a
platform raised about three feet from
the ground, so as to get a view over
some bOulders, had to be built, and
this was incloSed to the front and on
both sides by leaf screens. After this
was built goat was tied about twenty
yards in front of the machan in a po-
sition where it would be visible from
the entrance to the cave.
At $50 p. m. Tajam went to the
place, and as the goat had been almost
entirely devoured another goat was
tied, and the shikari and myself took
our seats on the platform. TO my dis
gust, / found that the shikari had Il
cold, and his sneezing and coughing
were sufficient to drive away any ami
NAL. | therefore sent him away, ard
he had not been gone more than ten
minutes when heard deep growing,
behind me.
Turning around suddenly, 7 saw
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
nlachan, where he sat on his hind quar-
ters, watching me and growing vicious+
ly. It was impossible for me to shoot.
as the leaves in the screen to the left
were too tightly interlaced even If the
panther would have remained until
could sight the ride upon him.
On whistling up my men | told them
about the behavior of this panther, and
the shikari informed me that on leav-
ing he had met it about fifty yards
from where I was seated, and as ii
would not move he threw q stone at it.
when it skunk off snarling and growing
into the jungle. AS it was now quite
dark I unloaded my rifles, and we pro-
ceeded together to unite the goat. We
had not gone half dozen yards when
there was a rush, and we heard strlg.
gle. The shikari and myself both said
that it was the panther at the goat,
but the other men would not have it.
Reaching the goat we found it in its
last death struggle, the panther having
seized it by the neck as it rushed past.
AS I was leaving the next day / was
unable to sit up again for the panther,
but the next year when | was at the
same place 1 was told The panther was
still there, so I again sat in the same
place, when the panther came early
r IN oil eI.i kx
my trophies.
A second curious experience with q
panther was within q couple of hundred
yards of the place where the last pam
ther was killed. Here the position
was on the ground, but / took the pre-
This time, too, a goat had not been
tied up the previous night so / had not
much hope of the panther coming be-
fore dark However, | took up my
position with the shikari early in the
afternoon. At about p. m. the shi-
kari, who was on my left, touched me.
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 a 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 I
expected him to cough at any minute,
as / myself felt most extra ordinary
inclination to do so, feeling which
invariably comes over one while wait
ing for a shot with nerves at high ten
sion.
Luckily both of us managed to keep
quiet and the panther, after making
a prolonged survey Of his surroundings,
rushed upon the goat but, to my in
tense annoyance, the rope by which
the goat was tied snapped, and the
panther, carrying the goat, bounded
back 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 shi-
kari quietly raised himself to look over