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Show A PANTHER LOOSE IN A SHIP. An exciting story is brought by the overland mail from Calcutta. The vessel Glenarvney , when leaving the Straits took on board one of the largest specimens of the black 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 three hundred men, women and children; these were followed by a rush upon deck. The panther had got clear of his cage and found its way down to the ‘tween decks. It had been disporting itself over the prostrate forms of three hundred slumbering passengers for some minutes before its presence became known. Every available means of exit were thrown open, and all the passengers got on deck in safety, when the hatches 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 torn off his back. Various accounts of the behavior of the animal while below were given by those who had seen him; but most concurred in saying that after gamboling over the sleeping bodies as described, when the alarm was given and the shouts and screams were raised, he had made one or two frightened springs form one end of the deck to the other. It was concluded that the animal must have jumped out of the port into the sea, for he could not be found. The steamer arrived next at Penang, the passengers settled down in their quarters as before, and she started the same evening for Calcutta. During the night some boatswain's stores were required from forward, and one of the Chinese ??? was sent down to get them, when he presently returned trembling with fear, exclaiming, "Tiger have gone down there!" Captain Bolton sent for his breech-loading rifle and cartridges, and went down the hatch by himself - ordering it to be closed after, lest if the beast really was there it should get on the deck, and re-enact the alarm of two nights before. On reaching the deck of the store room and looking around, Capt. [Captain] Bolton saw the large yellow-lit eyes of the animal glaring down from the top of some spars stowed along the ship's side, and by and by, by the dim light admitted by the port, could make out the outline of the body, when taking as steady aim as he could for what he considered the center of the animal's body, 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 applied, the rifle was again discharged of the piece. Captain Bolton had the satisfaction to hear the heavy body of the animal come tumbling down on the deck at his feet. It measured seven feet eight inches in length. |