A PANTHER LOOSE IN A SHIP.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1229, 6 July 1872, Page 2

A PANTHER LOOSE IN A SHIP.

[livbkpocl shipping and commercial GAZETTE.] | An exciting story is brought by the overland mail; The vessel Glenaryney, when leaving the Strait, took on board one of the largest specimens of the-blaek panther. The animal was secured in an iron, cage-house, sufficiently strong, it was thought, for its conveyance to Calcutta. When in the Straits of Malacca, screams were heard from the passengers in the 'tween decks, numbering some 300 men, women, and children ; these were followed by a pellmoll rush upon deck. The panther had got clear of its cage, and found its way down to (he 'tween decks. It bad been disporting itself over the prostrate forms of the 300 slumbering passengers for some minutes before its presence hecame known. Every available means of exit were thrown open, and all the passengers got on deck in safety, when the hatche* and companions were again closed, and the panther left in undisputed and solitary possession of .the 'tween decks. One man alone appeared to have suffered from the claws of the animal, a large strip of skin and flesh having been tonrfrom his back. Various accounts of the behavior of the animal while below were given by those who bad seen him, bat most concurred in saying that after gambolling over the sleeping bodies as described, when the alarm was given and the shouts and scretms were heard, he had made one or two frightened springs from one end of the deck to the other. It was concluded that the animal most have jumped out of the port into the sea, for he could nol be found.

The steamer arrived next day at Peßang, the passengers settled down in their quarters as before, and she started the same evening for Calcutta. During thA night some boatswain's stores were required from -forward, and one of the Chinese lascars was sent down to get them, when he presently rsturned, trembling with fear, exclaiming, "Tiger have eottee down there 1" Captain Bolton sent for his breech-loading rifle and cartridges, and went down the hatch by himself, ordering it to be closed after him, lest if the beast really was there it should get on the deck and re-enact the alarm of the two nights before. On reaching the deck of the storeroom and looking round, Captain Bolton saw the yellow-lit eyes of the animal glaring down from the top of some spars stowed alone the ship's side, and by-and-bye, by the dim light admitted by the port, could make out the outline of the body ; when, taking as steady an aim as he could for what he considered the centre of the animal's body, he let fire. When the smoke from the discharge cleared away, the two yellow eyes were still glaring down' from the same direction. A second cartridge having been supplied, the rifle was again raised, and, following the second discharge of the piece, Captain Bolton had the satisfaction to hear the heavy body of the animal come tumbling down on the deck at bis feet. The animal measured 7ft Bin in leagth.