38 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



a shot gun lying near, he let drive at the leopard's 

 throat, and killed it dead on the spot. 



It should always be remembered that, although 

 the leopard will, as an almost invariable rule, fly from 

 mankind, a wounded leopard will face any odds, and, 

 charging straight at the gunner, will do all in its 

 power to secure a bloody revenge for its injuries. A 

 lion, although badly wounded, will not seldom slink 

 off if it can gain cover. Not so the leopard, which 

 either flies furiously straight at the gunner, if it can 

 make out his whereabouts, or, hiding itself in some 

 patch of grass or bush, waits for its revenge and 

 springs unexpectedly on the advancing spo'orers. 

 Once the brute fastens itself upon its human foe, it 

 inflicts with teeth and claws, especially the hinder 

 claws, a frightful mauling, and, even if the sportsman 

 recovers from his wounds, he will bear traces of the 

 injuries for the rest of his life. Many fatalities have 

 occurred in Africa from the attack of a wounded 

 leopard, and, small though the animal appears in 

 comparison with the lion, it possesses enormous 

 strength and activity, and is one of the most danger- 

 ous of all beasts to tackle when hit and followed up. 



There are various methods of hunting leopards, 

 A favourite one, especially in Somaliland, where it 

 has met with much success in the last dozen years, is 

 to watch by night, either at a kill made by the leopard 

 previously, or at a living goat or sheep tied up for 

 the purpose. If the sportsman lies up by the kill- 

 usually some native sheep or goat belonging to a 

 Somali village he should be most careful to approach 



