CH. XI] MAN-EATING LEOPARDS 285 



quite as tame as a domestic cow, was picketed, now 

 here, now there, about us. Home was breaking it to 

 drive in a cart. 



During our stay another District Commissioner, 

 JMr. Piggott, came ovxt on a short visit. It was lie who, 

 the preceding year, while at Neri, had been obliged to 

 undertake the crusade against the rhinos, because, quite 

 unprovoked, they had killed various natives. He told 

 us that at the same time a man-eating leopard made its 

 appearance, and killed seven children. It did not attack 

 at night, but in the daytime, its victims being the little 

 boys who were watching the flocks of goats ; sometimes 

 it took a boy and sometimes a goat. Two old men 

 killed it with spears on the occasion of its taking the last 

 victim. It was a big male, very old, much emaciated, 

 and the teeth worn to stumps. Home told us that a 

 month or two before our arrival at JNleru a leopard had 

 begun a career of woman-killing. It killed one woman 

 by a bite in the throat, and ate the body. It sprang on 

 and badly wounded another, but was driven off in time 

 to save her life. This was probably the leopard Heller 

 trapped and shot, in the very locality where it had com- 

 mitted its ravages. It was an old male, but very thin, 

 with worn teeth. In these cases the reason for the 

 beast's action was plain : in each instance a big, savage 

 male had found his powers failing, and had been driven 

 to prey on the females and yoimg of the most helpless of 

 animals, man. But another attack of which Piggott 

 told us was apparently due to the queer individual 

 freakishness always to be taken into account in dealing 

 with wild beasts. A Masai chief, with two or three 

 followers, was sitting eating under a bush, when, abso- 

 lutely without warning, a leopard sprang on him, clawed 

 him on the head and hand without biting him, and as 



