The Argosy — page 244: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Trapping a Panther. 227 { and round the kouba, emitting an occasional growl. For the present I was safe. ~ J could not see him at first from my exalted position; but he soon altered his tactics and crouched down a few paces off, where I had a sood view of him. He lay like a cat, with his head between his paws, only raising it occasionally to emit a long-drawn growl. I began to feel seriously uneasy ; the beast evidently intended to starve ime out. I could not hold on all night. It was getting dark very rapidly. In this country, as you know, there is hardly any twilight. If I only had had my revolver—but I had dropped it in climbing ‘the kouba. _ Partly to give me courage, and partly from some vague notion «hat strange noises will frighten animals, I began to roar out—but with a quavering voice—snatches of songs. The only visible effect iy musical efforts had on the panther was to make him wag his ‘head slowly from side to side, as if beating time. It seemed that Ithe brute was mocking me. Ina fit of impatience I unstrapped my field-glasses, and flung them jfull at his face, fetching him a crack on the snout. This roused the animal. Rearing up, he roared at me, as if in defiance, and made a dash at the mosque. His efforts to reach me were in vain. | All of a sudden he dashed through the open door into the mosque, perhaps hoping to get at me from the inside. Soon I heard a sound bf smashing and splintering of wood. ‘The animal was committing sacrilege apparently, and venting his rage on the holy man’s shrine. if I could only keep you there, my friend, I thought, we would ot quits, Keep him there, but how? A happy thought flashed across my yaind. It was, indeed, an inspiration. “I have it,” I exclaimed. \ began to search my pockets, and found a couple of newspapers. } found also that I had a pocket-volume of Longfellow. With these naterialsk—‘ to such base uses do we come at last”—TI hastily improvised a sort of torch, binding it round with strips torn from my handkerchief. I then poured some of the contents of my brandy- lask over it, and fastened one end of this torch to the strap of my \ield- -glass, and the other end of the strap to the iron crescent. I then }t the torch, and carefully let it down over the doorway. | There was a glorious illumination, which at once attracted tie raging \nimal inside. I could hear him tearing from one side of the mosque pthe other. Still the torch would only burn about a minute or so, and must at once carry out my pian. It was a desperate one, but it was hy only chance. [I dropped softly to the ground, and shut the joor in the panther’s face ; to his great discomfiture, as I found after- jatds that the door in shut ting had banged the torch in the brute’s [ice and singed his whiskers, : There was more to be done yet, though, if I was to get clear way, | COMIC OOO SS (CSO) Mm ee Ce ee ne ee ee ns St Se