THE FLESH-EATERS 35 



a Kaffir spoorer, who hunted with me ; its odours 

 will remain always in my memory. There were the 

 remains of a baboon and the carcase of a klipspringer 

 fawn. In mountain country such as I speak of, the 

 leopard will, I think, in preference kill the klip- 

 springer before any other quarry. In this he shows his 

 good taste, for the venison of this most dainty little 

 antelope is among the best in all Africa. Next to the 

 klipspringer he chooses the baboon, an animal which 

 abounds only too plentifully in almost every range of 

 Cape Colony. The baboons look upon the leopard 

 as their most deadly foe and hate him accordingly. 

 They are most alert, wide-awake beasts, and in day- 

 time have sentries always posted ; still, notwith- 

 standing all their cleverness, the leopard usually gets 

 the better of them and secures his dinner when he 

 needs it. It is said, and I believe with truth, that 

 occasionally two or three " old men " baboons, when 

 desperate or cornered, will go for the leopard, and 

 nathless his strength, his teeth, and his fearful claws, 

 rend him to bits. An adult baboon can instantly 

 kill a big and strong dog by tearing out his throat 

 with his enormously powerful teeth, and I see no 

 reason whatever why two or three of these fierce apes 

 should not vanquish a leopard. Next to klipspringers 

 and baboons, the mountain leopard takes as his prey 

 rhebok, duyker, and an occasional foal of the mountain 

 zebra. In addition to farm stock he is greatly 

 addicted to dogs, which he looks upon as an especial 

 dainty ; and he will dare much and even enter a 

 camp or farm enclosure to obtain so much desired a 



VOL. II D 



