334 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



throat trying to clear the way. It seemed five 

 minutes, though it was probably only as many 

 seconds, before I got my chance. It was high 

 time. The cheetah had reared to strike the 

 man down.* My shot bowled her over. She 

 jumped to her feet again, made another dash at 

 the thoroughly scared Kavirondo, and I killed 

 her just at his coat-tails. 



The cheetahs ordinarily are supposed to be 

 cowards, although their size and power are equal 

 to that of other leopards. Nobody is afraid of 

 them. Yet this particular animal charged with 

 all the ferocity and determination of the lion, 

 and would certainly have killed or badly mauled 

 my man.f To be sure it had been wounded, 

 and had had all night to think about it. 



In the relief from the tension we all burst into 

 shrieks of laughter; all except the near- victim 

 of the scrimmage, who managed only a sickly 

 smile. Our mirth was short. Out from a 

 thicket over a hundred yards away walked one of 

 the men, who had been in no way involved in 

 the fight, calmly announcing that he had been 

 shot. We were sceptical, but he turned his 



* This is an interesting fact that she reared to strike instead of 

 springing. 



t It must be remembered that this beast had the evening before 

 killed a 350-pound hartebeeete with ease. 



