THE LEOPARD. 9 1 



upon our shoulders, rubbed his head upon us, and his teeth 

 and claws having been filed, there was no danger of tearing our 

 clothes. He was kept in the above court for a week or two, 

 and evinced no ferocity, except when one of the servants tried 

 to pull his food from him • he then caught the offender by the 

 leg, and tore out a small piece of flesh ; but he never seemed 

 to owe him any ill-will afterwards. He one morning broke his 

 cord, and, the cry being given, the castle gates were shut, and 

 a chase commenced. After leading his pursuers two or three 

 times round the ramparts, and knocking over a few children by 

 bouncing against them, he suffered himself to be caught, and 

 led quietly back to his quarters, under one of the guns of the 

 fortress. 



" By degrees the fear of him subsided ; and orders having 

 been given to the sentinels to prevent his escape through the 

 gates, he was left at liberty to go where he pleased ; and a boy 

 was appointed to prevent him from intruding into the apart- 

 ments of the officers. His keeper, however, generally passed 

 his watch in sleeping ; and Sai, as the Panther was called, after 

 the royal giver, roamed at large. On one occasion he found 

 his servant sitting on the step of the door, upright, but fast 

 asleep, when he lifted his paw, gave him a blow on the side of 

 his head, which laid him flat, and then stood wagging his tail, 

 as if enjoying the mischief he had committed. He became 

 exceedingly attached to the Governor, and followed him every- 

 where like a dog. His favourite station was at a window of the 

 sitting-room, which overlooked the whole town; there, standing 

 on his hind-legs, his fore-paws resting on the ledge of the 

 window, and his chin laid between them, he appeared to amuse 

 himself with what was passing beneath. The children also 

 stood with him at the window ; and one day, finding his pre- 

 sence an incumbrance, and that they could not get their chairs 

 close, they used their united efforts to pull him down by the tail. 



