THE HUNTING LEOPARD 



under a mass of overhanging rocks. In the darkness 

 at the extreme end of the lair we could see their 

 eyes, which flashed a lurid green. The dogs barked 

 furiously, and the great cats answered with a series 

 of snarls and deep grunts. Climbing round a ledge 

 of rock, an old Zulu servant, who was armed with 

 a percussion cap muzzle-loading gun charged with 

 a double dose of powder and half a handful of leaden 

 slugs, blazed point-blank at one of the Chitas, 

 shattering its skull and killing it instantly. Its 

 mate at once bounded out and vanished into the 

 bushes before we recovered our presence of mind. 

 We followed its trail with the aid of our dogs, and 

 eventually located it up a forest tree, lying flat 

 aloi^ a large branch on to which it had evidently 

 sprung with a single leap from the ground. 



Unless wounded and cornered a Hunting Leopard 

 will not attempt to attack a man, so great is its dread 

 of him. Major F. G. Alexander, who has hunted 

 these animals in India, and has considerable experi- 

 ence of them, says : " I have good reason to know 

 that in their wild state they are, when wounded, 

 most dangerous animals, and even when mortally 

 wounded will do their best to reach you : in fact 

 I would rather face a charging tiger or leopard on 

 foot than a Chita." 



In India at the present day and from prehistoric 

 times Chitas are, and have been, tamed, and most 

 of the Indian princes and many of the nobility ovm 

 one or more. 



167 



