CRUSADE AGAINST ALL LEOPARDS 



with my friend before I commenced making inquiries, 

 worrying him and every member of his staff to tell me 

 where a tiger was likely to be found, till they must have 

 wished that I could find one which would remove me from 

 their midst. 



There w r as not a " shikari " in the neighbourhood nor 

 a " coolie " on the garden that I had not pestered with 

 inquiries, nor yet a jungle within five miles of me in which 

 I had not sat up half the night over a half-starved bullock 

 which I dragged from place to place, till it died from the 

 unwonted exercise. 



But all to no purpose, and for the very simple reason 

 that there was not a tiger in the place. However, I con- 

 tinued my endeavours, all except the bullock, which the 

 state of my finances did not admit of my replacing, until 

 convinced at last that even in India there could be jungles 

 without tigers, I transferred my attention to the leopard. 



Of these I knew there were plenty, for often in the night, 

 I had heard them grunting round my bungalow, a sound 

 I had first mistaken for some one sawing wood, but was 

 shortly undeceived, for being woke up by it one morning, 

 I missed my dog, and later in the day found its head and 

 a few scattered bones behind t-he coolie lines. From that 

 day forth I thought no more of tigers, for the dog had 

 been a favourite one, and I was determined to avenge it. 



I lost no time in starting my crusade, both coolie and 

 " shikari " now willingly assisting, as the leopard is a 

 beast at once dreaded and detested by natives of all classes, 

 and with good reason, for a more persistent destroyer of 

 cattle it would be difficult to imagine, while should one take 

 to man-eating, he is more dangerous than a tiger. 



To detail the various measures I adopted for the destruc- 

 tion of the beast would occupy more space than I can spare ; 

 suffice it, then, to say that every method was employed 

 which human ingenuity could devise, but with no tangible 

 results, except that while engaged in these experiments, 

 an incident occurred which led to my introduction to the 

 bison. 



Early one morning I was returning from one of my 

 many all-night vigils on a tree, when the " shikari " who 

 accompanied me pointed to something on the ground. 



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