THE LEOPARD 



a shot. However it did nothing of the sort. It re- 

 covered its feet in an instant and launched itself at me, all 

 in one movement, so to speak, without any pause, and with 

 such fearful rapidity that, prepared as I was, I had only 

 just time to throw the rifle to my shoulder and pull trigger 

 without seeing a sight or anything a regular snap-shot. If 

 I never saw " battle, murder, and sudden death " before, I 

 saw it coming towards me then, in awful silence, mouth wide 

 open showing some very unpleasantly powerful teeth, ears 

 laid back, and eyes fixed on me with baneful glare ; but at 

 my shot the flying figure collapsed and came rolling over 

 and over to my very feet. I saw at once it was not dead, 

 and I did not know where I had hit it ; but the thought that 

 my rifle was only a single-barrelled one struck me instantly, 

 together with the reflection as to what would happen if the 

 leopard got up when I had the breech open and was extract- 

 ing the cartridge. As quick as the thought I dropped my 

 rifle, and pulling out my hunting-knife, a big heavy one 

 with a double-edged blade, which I happened to be carrying 

 at the time, plunged it into the brute behind the shoulder, 

 as it lay, back towards me, doubled up on the ground. 

 Well and good if I had stabbed and withdrawn the knife 

 very quickly ; but I did not. Like an ass I wrenched it 

 about in the wound a bit, with the result of galvanising the 

 leopard into comparatively active life, for it turned suddenly 

 over, knocked the knife flying out of my hand, grabbed me 

 by the left leg with its fore-paws, and pulled me down on 

 top of it. I rolled over to one side at once, desperately 

 pulled at its paws with my right hand and kicked as 

 desperately at it with my right foot, whilst my left hand 

 was occupied fending its horrible head away from my face 

 as we lay side by side, for it was struggling hard to get its 

 teeth into me. Trying to get it by the throat, my left hand 



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