48 DEATH OF A LEOPARD. 



every minute. Knowing lie was alarmed, I lost not a 

 moment in bringing the rifle to bear on his forehead. 

 The moment I fired, he quietly rolled over, and, to 

 my delight, as he lay dead, part of his side was visible 

 above water. I now knew that he was on a sand- 

 bank, and hoped soon to have him ashore. The mo- 

 ment the remainder heard the report, they sank and 

 disappeared ; but just as I had re-loaded, one — a 

 cow, I fancy — popped her head up for a look some 

 thirty yards from me. I hit her at once, and she 

 sank, with her mouth wide open, in deep water, and 

 I never saw more of her. I now started towards 

 camp, to get some men, and try to get out the bull. 

 On my w^ay back I heard the bark of a bush -bock, 

 and made tracks in the direction, for though it was 

 getting late, I determined to have a try for him. 

 While approaching the part of the jungle where I had 

 fancied the buck was, I heard a growl and a noise, 

 which 1 knew at once to be the death shriek of some 

 animal within a few yards of me. Forcing my way 

 through some thick jungle, I entered a small open 

 space in the forest, at one side of which I saw, within 

 sixty yards of me, a leopard sucking the blood of a 

 bush -bock he had just killed. Taking a steady aim 

 at the brute behind the shoulder, as he stood over the 

 antelope, I fired, and hit him ; there was no mistake 

 about that, for with a roar he reared up on his hind 

 legs, receiving at the same moment another shot, 

 which made him roll over and over on the ground. 

 Quickly re-loading the breechloader, I walked up to 

 him just as he breathed his last, and found him to be 

 a fine male leopard, skin in beautiful bloom. The 



