THE KING OF THE JUNGLE. 477 



approached the spot, and that mother never knew her narrow escape from death. 

 If she had been able to understand it, it isn't likely she would have felt any grati- 

 tude therefor. 



" I shouldn't wonder if it was your mate that Bob picked off last night," thought 

 Jack, "but it was his own fault, and I've no suh excuse for shooting^*/." 



Meanwhile Bob Marshall, almost at the same moment, detected a handsome 

 female leopard a short distance in front of him, whose actions showed she had her 

 attention fixed upon something so far in advance that it was invisible to him. 

 Little did he suspect its nature. 



The head of the animal was directly away from the youth, and she was moving 

 so guardedly that Bob would not have seen her had she not suddenly paused and 

 risen to her feet, precisely as a brute does when seeking to make sure its prey is 

 where it suspects it to be. 



Bob also stopped, and, crouching down, stole to the nearest tree and sheltered 

 himself behind it, while he watched the actions of the leopard with absorbing 

 interest. He was still wondering what her intended victim could be, when he saw 

 something stirring in the undergrowth just beyond. He could not distinguish it 

 clearly and was still trying to do so, when his blood was set tingling by a wild, re- 

 sounding " kh ah! kh ah! n the well-known cry of the gorilla. At the same 

 moment, the dimly-seen object in advance of the leopard resolved itself into a 

 female of that species, which dashed off among the limbs, fallen trees and running 

 vines, \vith her young one held to her breast, as a mother clasps her baby. 



In this instance the head of the family was on hand, as the leopard discoveied 

 without a second's delay. 



The latter had hardly time to rise to her feet with the purpose of dashing after 

 the female gorilla and her young, when the male, a gigantic fellow, fully six feet 

 tall, burst through the vegetation, and assailed her with inconceivable ferocity. 



The astounded Bob saw the beam-like arms make a terrific sweep through the 

 air, and in an instant the leopard was grasped and flung on its side. One of the 

 gorilla's enormous arms gripped his prey under the throat, while the other, passing 

 over her shoulders, seized the left paw and held it as immovable as if it were U.-e 

 arm of an infant 



This brought the leopard's head under the chin of the terrible creature, which 

 opened its vast jaws until they inclosed half the leopard's neck between them. Then 

 the teeth met, and the victim had barely time to give one frenzied screech, when her 

 life went out like a flash of lightning, and that, too, before she was able to inflict so 

 much as a scratch upon her fearful assailant. 



The gorilla kept his jaws shut for a full half minute in the back of the leopard's 

 neck, never releasing the grip of his right hand from her throat, nor that of th 

 left from her paw. It looked as if he was holding his victim stationary while he 

 felt for her pulse to learn whether she was alive or not. 



If surh was the fact, the result must have satisfied him. 



Suddenly he flung up his head, half straightened his body, and gave the carcass 



