‘There are the sepoys’ rifles,’ I suggested. ‘We could take one of them apiece; and, you know, we can’t let the leopard get off without having a try for him. Can we?’
‘Yes, there are the sepoys’ rifles, certainly,’ replied Castleton rather doubtfully; ‘but’——
‘And I have got a couple of spears,’ I interrupted. ‘Oh, do let us go at once, before he is disturbed.’
‘Well—all right; we’ll try it,’ said Castleton hesitatingly.
I lost no time in running home and changing into a shooting costume. Castleton sent his orderly off to the lines for our weapons; and by the time I had returned with the spears, the orderly reappeared with a couple of rifles and a packet of cartridges. So, a very short time saw us mounted on our horses and following our guide out to the little village of Goree.
‘I am not very sure about the wisdom of this business,’ said Castleton.
‘Oh, it will be all right,’ I replied. ‘We must be careful not to fire until we are pretty sure to kill—that’s all.’
‘Hm, yes, I suppose so,’ assented my comrade somewhat doubtfully.
As a matter of fact, it was not an overwise business. Our regiment was armed in those days with the short two-grooved Brunswick rifle, a muzzle loader, of course, and one in which the bullet had to be hammered into the muzzle with a small wooden hammer carried for the purpose, before it could be rammed down with the ramrod. This rendered the process of loading so dreadfully slow that practically it would make it quite impossible for either of us to get more than one shot, and it is no easy matter to kill a leopard with one bullet, however well placed. If he were not killed, he would be pretty certain to charge, and we should be in an awkward plight.
Matters did not look much more encouraging when we reached Goree. The khubber was good enough: there was the place where the kid had been struck, and there were the drops of blood and footprints of a large leopard leading into a patch of dense cane-jungle about one hundred yards long and sixty yards broad, and we had very little doubt that he was in there, sure enough. We arranged, somewhat rashly, that we would enter the jungle from nearly opposite ends of the patch and work towards the centre. If either of us saw the leopard, we were, if possible, first to whistle and then to call out before shooting. We did this with a double object—first, that we might not shoot each other; and secondly, that if one of us wounded the beast and he came towards the other, we might be on the lookout for him, and not be taken unawares. So we separated; and I cautiously entered the left end of the patch, while Castleton made his entrance on the right. My end of the jungle was thicker than Castleton’s; but the edge was fairly clear, and by peering under the brake, I could see four or five yards in front of me. Very soon, the cane and bushes became so dense that I had to clear away the leaves with one hand while I held the rifle ready cocked in the other. We had each a sepoy accompanying us and carrying our second weapon, the spear. To my man I gave instructions that the moment I fired, I would hand him back the rifle, and he was to give me the spear. Of course I kept him behind me, so that he should be in no danger. We had not begun our advance more than two or three minutes, and had not penetrated, at our slow and cautious pace, more than about twenty yards, when Castleton whistled. I at once stood still. After a slight pause, he called out in a sort of stage whisper: ‘I see him; but it’s a nasty shot. I can only see his hind-quarters, and there is a lot of jungle in the way. Shall I shoot?’