A Night Attack . 00KING back on my first experience of
sitting up A at night for a panther, I wonder how it was possible that we could have fallen asleep on a machan made of rough branches which after an hour or so seemed to be composed of nothing but hard and searching knobs, while the hungry and busy mosquitoes did their best to keep us awake, and stiffness, cramp, and heat kept us thoroughly uncomfortable. But fall asleep we did.
It was a fine moonlight night and the scent of lemons filled the air. We were in a narrow, deep valley facing a small open space where a miserable goat was bleating and bleating. I felt so sorry for it that I longed to call out that it wasn't alone and that we wouldn't let it be killed ; but that it was a perfect fool to tell all the jungle it was there.
At first excitement kept us wide awake, and on the watch. Presently something moved cautiously and slowly down the hill on the right—a different sound this from the many smaller movements we had heard previously. The Panther ! We felt sure it was the panther, and strained our eyes for any sign of him. A few stones rattled, then silence, then stealthy sounds and a twig snapped in another direction.
We were kept in a state of tension for a long time, during which odd ideas chased through my brain : " How the troops of Midian prowl and prowl around " ran in my head. " Oh you fool of a goat, keep quiet ; Christian, dost thou see them ? " And so on.
He was a good reconnoiterer, that panther. He studied the question from every point of view ; and nearly to our undoing. At length, after prowling round and round he retired, never having been visible for one second.
The old goat turned her attention to the fodder provided, and as the silence continued settled down to slumber.
John whispered : " The Blighter has gone," and pre- sently the warm and scented air had its effect on us also.
What was it that woke me so suddenly ? Troops of Midian ! Something prowling out of sight below us, crackling the dry leaves under our tree, breathing and snuffling in them. Why had I fallen asleep ? Why was I half lying down, unable to move, unable to see the poor goat ? I must wait now till the panther moved.
John was still asleep. I touched him gently—and knew that he woke, and had his rifle in his hands. The moon had sunk low and it was horribly dark. When would the panther have done nosing about under our tree—horrid thought, would he climb up ? My heart, which had been beating so loud when I awoke, nearly suffocated me. Surely he'll hear it thumping, and slink away, or perhaps he might want to see what is making that noise.. Will he kill the goat before we get a chance of a shot ? Will the panther never decide ?
Then, quicker than thought, he did decide. With one scrabble of claws he was up behind us, past us, above us. We both sat up, rifles ready ; two blazing eyes looked down on us out of the darkness. John fired just before, or just as, the panther leapt, and the beast collapsed, hitting our machan, but fortunately not touching either of us. We listened intently for any sound from below, and there was none. Just as the tension was over and we were going to voice our thankfulness, the silence was broken by loud and menacing roars a short distance behind us.
It was most terrific and terrifying ; the sound rever- berated round the rocks and hills till the air shook. It had the strangest effect on me, and I shook as if in an ague. Though I tried hard to control my muscles they took absolute possession of me until even the tree shook. It was the most extraordinary experience, as I had not been conscious of fear, and when the roars ceased I recovered and felt most ashamed of myself ; but I shouldn't care to hear that noise again.
We had to wait for daylight before descending from our tree. John slept peacefully the rest of the night, but I was too anxious to know if our reconnoiterer was really dead ; I felt sure he would be a nasty customer to walk up to if wounded. Luckily he was there close by, dead ; and we concluded it was the mate who had roused the echoes so effectively. As the goat was led away I won- dered if she realized her good fortune, or if she had enjoyed the joke when we were stalked instead of herself.
Anyway, I congratulated myself that my promise to her was fulfilled, and we never sat over a live animal
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