MISCELLANEOUS. 155 



from grazing was a herd of cattle — a white calf leading, 

 and a small rakhal (cowboy) bringing np the rear. The 

 leopard now began to advance slowly, moving with a 

 slightly undulating and snake-like motion. Fortunately, 

 just then the path leading to the village turned at right 

 angles and away from the leopard, who seeing himself 

 baulked crouched low down, and I could only just see 

 among the clods the head, points of the shoulder and 

 the line of its back. I had not long to want to see the 

 end of the denoument. A dust - storm having risen the 

 gloom increased considerably, and soon half-a-dozen 

 of rather small-looking pigs were out of the patiale, 

 gamboling and chasing each other. The leopard had now 

 slightly turned round, and only some fifteen yards or so 

 separated him from the nearest pig, when with a series 

 of bounds he was among them. The whole sounder dash- 

 ed back into the patiale leaving one of their number in 

 the leopard's grip. Poor piggy made vain attempts to 

 extricate himself : in five minutes all was over, and par- 

 dus having secured his dinner retired in the patiale to 

 come and finish his meal at his leisure latter on. 



On another occasion I was an eye-witness to quite a 

 different scene. As on the occasion referred above I 

 had been asked to come out and shoot a leopard that 

 had been seen outside the patiale. When I got to the 

 ground as usual the bag had vanished, so disgusted I 

 took my position behind a high bank and waited gun in 

 hand. Having waited for an hour or so, and seeing no 

 signs of the leopard I sat down and lighted a cheroot. I 



