82 WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR. 
night was clear and the stars shone most beautifully 
above my head. But how strange every thing looked 
around me! A chill ran through meas I gazed around: 
every thing seemed so mournful; [alonein such a place; 
while now and then the cry of the solitary owl broke the 
deadness of the awful silence. 
The goat in the mean time was continually bleating, 
for the little creature had an instinctive dread of being 
alone in sucha place. I was glad he cried, for I knew it 
would make the leopard come if the animal could only 
hear him. 
One hour passed away: no leopard! Two hours: no 
leopard! Three hours: nothing! I began to feel tired, 
for I was seated on the bare ground. Once or twice I 
thought I heard snakes crawling, but it was no doubt a 
fancy. 
I do not know, but I think I must have fallen 
asleep, for on a sudden, looking for the goat, I saw that 
it was not there. JI rubbed my eyes, for I really was not 
sure of them, but I was not mistaken; no goat was to be 
seen! I got up, and my wonder was great when at the 
place where the goat had been I found bloody I could 
not believe my senses. I lighted the torch and looked 
at my watch: it was four o’clock in the morning: and 
then I saw distinctly the foot-prints of the leopard. 
There was no mistake about it; the leopard had come, 
killed and carried away the goat, and during that time 
I was fast asleep! . 
Just think of it! I must have slept almost two 
hours, and I thanked my stars that the leopard had taken 
the goat instead of myself! It would have been a 
dreadful feeling if I had been awakened as I was car- 
