52 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



to flight, and, if caught before reaching a tree or thick 

 covert, the advantage lies rather with his enemies, pro- 

 vided they know their business and are sufficiently 

 powerful and determined. The Franciscan Fathers at 

 the Baromo Monastery above Tete, on the Zambezi, 

 used to own a very large and active cross-bred deer- 

 hound, which, they said, had accounted, by itself, for 

 more than one leopard ; but, generally speaking, the 

 latter, with its four sets of sharp talons, holds an immense 

 advantage over any single dog, and, even if over-weighted 

 and borne down, can rip its enemy's body with its hind 

 ones. A big dog's only chance is to pin the leopard by 

 the back of the neck while still on the run, when he 

 may succeed in crippling it before it can use its claws. 

 Probably no dog, whatever its size, and no matter how 

 courageous, stands a chance if taken unawares by a 

 leopard. 



When at bay the leopard is a most plucky and dangerous 

 animal. Unlike a lion, he may be relied upon always to 

 charge home ; the possibility of his losing heart and 

 stopping or swerving at the last moment is so slight as 

 to be not worth reckoning upon. A large number of 

 them have been trapped during the last eight years in 

 the Transvaal Game Reserve, and I can hardly recall 

 any instance in which, when followed up in the morning, 

 the animal has not charged or attempted to do so. In 

 order to lessen the chance of the captive releasing himself, 

 the method has been to attach the iron trap firmly to 

 a branch, which, while too light to afford purchase, is 

 of sufficient size to leave a track easy to follow. Although 

 the leopard, thus encumbered, can charge at no great 

 speed, there exists the possibility that his sudden furious 

 spring on first sighting his pursuer, may release his paw, 

 if, for instance, he has been caught by one toe only ; 



