308 



THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



than tear my shirt. Her body was 

 twisted in an effort to get hold of the 

 ground to turn herself but the loose sand 

 offered her no hold. For a moment there 

 was no change in our positions and for 

 the first time I hoped for a chance. Up 

 to then it had been simpl^^ a good fight 

 in which I expected to lose, but if I could 

 keep my advantage perhaps the syce 

 would come with a knife. I called but 

 to no effect. I still held and surged down 

 with my knees; one hand down her 

 throat as far as I could thrust it and the 

 other gripping her throat, was certainly 

 a strangle hold. I felt her relax, a sort 

 of letting go although she was still strug- 

 gling. At the same time I felt myself 



Some of the Somali wells are eighty feet deep 

 and require at least eight natives supported one 

 above the other on steps along the walls of the 

 well, to pass the water in wooden buckets {chatties) 

 to those waiting at the top 



weakening similarly, and then it became 

 a question as to which would give up 

 first. 



After what seemed an interminable 

 passage of time, I let go and tried to 

 stand, calling to the syce that I was 

 finished. He now screwed up his cour- 

 age sufficiently to approach. Then the 

 leopard began to gasp and I saw that 

 she might recover, so I asked the syce 

 for the knife. He had thrown it away in 

 his fear, but quickly found it and I at 

 last made certain that the beast was 

 dead. I tried to shoulder the leopard to 

 carry it to camp but was finally satisfied 

 to get myself to camp. 



AVhen I came inside the zcrrha, my 

 companions were at dinner before one 

 of the tents. They had heard the shots 

 and had speculated on the probabilities. 

 They had decided that I was in a mix-up 

 with a lion or with natives, but that I 

 would have the enemy or the enemy 

 would have me before they could get to 

 me, so they had continued their dinner. 

 The fatalistic spirit of the country had 

 pre\ailed. When I came within their 

 range of vision howe^'er, my appearance 

 was quite sufficient to arrest attention 

 and moreover my demands for all the 

 antiseptics in camp gave them some- 

 thing to do. While my companions were 

 getting the surgical appliances ready, my 

 boys were stripping me and dousing me 

 with cold water, and at that time I re- 

 gretted that the leopard had not been 

 victorious. 



Later in the evening they brought 

 the leopard in and laid it beside my cot. 

 The first shot as she went behind the 

 bush had broken the toes of the right 

 hind foot. The only other bullet that 

 struck her A\'as the last before she 

 charged and that had creased her just 

 under the skin on the back of the neck, 

 from the shock of which she had instantly 

 recovered. 



