THE LEOPARD 125 



when they return to the carcass and make another meal. 

 Knowing these habits, the hunters often kill the lion, tiger 

 and Leopard by lying in ambush near the body of the prey 

 and shooting the animal when it comes back to its feast. 

 But this Leopard never made more than one meal from a 

 victim, never appeared twice in the same place, and often 

 contented itself with drinking the blood of its prey, not 

 touching the body. It had also the habit of carrying the 

 bodies of children into trees and hiding them in the forks 

 of branches at some height from the ground. Of course, it 

 killed far more human beings than it would have done had 

 it made its meals after the usual carnivorous fashion. 



On the whole the Leopard is more cowardly than the 

 lion or tiger. It is, however, particularly dangerous when 

 wounded, either coming straight for its foe to attack with 

 teeth and claws, or else it seeks cover to spring out suddenly. 

 In this latter respect it is certainly worse than the lion, and 

 what it lacks in size compared to the tiger is more than 

 atoned for in the greater length of its avenging leap. 



An adventure with a Leopard at close quarters is generally 

 something to be remembered, as illustrated in the following 

 instance. Two Boers were returning from an antelope hunt 

 when they met a Leopard in a mountain ravine. Like most 

 of its tribe, the creature first tried to escape by climbing up 

 a precipice, but being slightly wounded by a shot, it turned 

 upon its pursuers with the utmost ferocity. It tore one 

 man from his horse, bringing him to the ground, biting his 

 shoulder and clawing his face and arms. 



The second hunter fired in the hope of relieving his 

 friend ; the shot missed, and the infuriated animal turned 

 upon its new antagonist. In one bound the Leopard was 

 upon him, tearing his scalp over his forehead ; and in the 

 same moment man and beast, grappled together, fell over a 

 steep declivity. In the meantime the first man had re- 

 covered his gun, but he could do nothing as his friend and 

 the Leopard rolled over and over to the bottom of the steep 

 bank. When at length he was able to lay the savage beast 

 low, it did but hasten its death from the knife wounds of 

 the hunter, who now lay dying with his throat practically 

 torn out. 



