A LETTER FROM THE NIGER. 259 



dozen leopards, that had lain in ambush behind tree 

 trunks and branches like sharpshooters, had instinctively 

 betrayed themselves at the noise of shooting, and had 

 taken flight at hazard among the guards. When we 

 arrived the excitement was at its height. The leopards, 

 wounded, and held in a circle of gun-barrels that they 

 could not break, were using all their agility to get through 

 our lines. Several sprang upon our soldiers and tried to 

 strangle them. One corporal was completely laid open, 

 and we had the greatest difficulty in saving him from 

 his furious foe in this mangled condition. Two other 

 men saved themselves at close quarters by using their 

 revolvers, and one his sabre ; and my tent is now softly 

 carpeted with seven magnificent leopard skins, the results 

 of the fray. 



My friend's letter reached me at an unfortunate time 

 for reply ; and I had arrived at Java — that country so rich 

 in archaeological remains and animal life — before I could 

 give it the attention it deserved. After matters of merely 

 personal interest, I described to him, in return for his 

 stories, an example of the curious veneration for some 

 animals felt by the superstitious islanders. 



" The Prince of Djokjokarta, a kind of Javan sultan, 

 loved to surround himself with extravagant pomp. One 

 day he started from his palace to visit his subjects, accom- 

 panied by a superb escort all robed in white. He was 

 carried upon a magnificent dais, covered with gold and 



