melee_. But, fortunately
for us, and more especially for me, who was then nearest her, the
panther seemed to think better of it, and tumbled off into the jungle,
as far as I could see very badly knocked about.

Then we attended to Blake's injuries, which consisted of a large piece
torn from his left forearm, three great teeth-marks in his left thigh,
and claw-marks all over his left calf. He 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 immediately the accident had occurred. Then on to camp,
where I re-dressed his wounds, sprinkling them with boracic acid, which
was, foolishly, all we had provided in the way of antiseptics.

Then a "palki" or palankin arrived, lent by the jargirdar, who had also
sent his ten private carriers, and, accompanied by the dafadar, we
started for the railway, the nearest point of which was forty miles
away, and reached it at five the next morning, having experienced
thirteen hours of anxiety, dead weariness, exhausted palankin men, bad
and in some places non-existent roads, and, to crown all, one river to
ford.

Blake has happily survived his injuries--always severe when inflicted by
panthers, as these animals' teeth and claws, from their habit of killing
their prey and leaving it exposed for a day to the Indian sun, seldom
fails to induce blood-poisoning, which few, if any, have been known to
survive.

The panther was found next day, quite dead, with three bullet-wounds in
her--one in the chest, one through the ribs, and one through the body
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 life and
ferocity of these animals. The native of India will tell you, "The tiger
is a janwar (animal), but the panther he is a shaitan (devil)."

Mr. Dickson Price, who had a narrow escape from a panther in 1905, thus
described the occurrence--

Owing to the stricter preservation of the jungles round Marpha, beasts
of prey appear to have greatly increased in number the last year or so.

Last November a travelling pedlar was killed on a path close by; while
this year more than twenty head of cattle have been killed by tigers
and panthers at Marpha and near by. This is a very serious loss to the
people, who depend entirely upon their cattle for ploughing, etc.

On February 22, just