AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



as we were. So we returned to camp, resolved to 

 take up the trail again in the morning. 



Every man in camp turned out next day to help 

 beat the grass. Cuninghame with the .405, stayed to 

 direct and protect the men; while I, with the Spring- 

 field, sat down at the head of the ravine. Soon I could 

 hear the shrieks, rattles, shouts, and whistles of the 

 line of men as they beat through the grass. Small 

 grass bucks and hares bounded past me; birds came 

 whirring by. I sat on a little anthill spying as hard 

 as I could in all directions. Suddenly the beaters 

 fell to dead silence. Guessing this as a signal to 

 me that the beast had been seen, I ran to climb a 

 higher anthill to the left. From there I discerned 

 the animal plainly, sneaking along belly to earth, 

 exactly in the manner of a cat after a sparrow. It 

 was not a woods-leopard; but the plains-leopard, or 

 cheetah, supposed to be a comparatively harmless 

 beast. 



At my shot she gave one spring forward and 

 rolled over into the grass. The nearest porters 

 yelled, and rushed in. I ran too, as fast as I could, 

 but was not able to make myself heard above the 

 row. An instant later the beast came to its feet 

 with a savage growl and charged the nearest of the 

 men. She was crippled, and could not move as 

 quickly as usual, but could hobble along faster than 



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