2 34 MV LAST LEOPARD. 



As I came home across the paddy bunds I lost my footing, I 

 had already lost my temper ! 



When at Naadgarmee on 8th February, 1870, I went 

 out at sunrise to search the precipices in the rear of the 

 camp for ibex, but saw nothing. In the afternoon out again 

 with Francis ; it had been very misty all day and the fog 

 was still hanging about the precipices ; when we got near 

 them I saw something move on a rock about one hundred 

 and twenty yards from me ; I knew it was a leopard by the 

 way it crouched on seeing us. From being very misty I 

 fancy it could not make us out ; and as we were looking at 

 it with the glasses it suddenly glided out of sight, but 

 appeared on the hill again almost immediately, rather nearer 

 to us, and I thought for a moment it had taken us for deer 

 or ibex. It then returned to the rock looking so dark that 

 I thought is was one of the black variety and the mist 

 magnified it considerably as it stood, looking so handsome ; 

 it again disappeared over the rock which was close to the 

 edge of a precipice. I fancied I saw another head on the 

 same rock which vanished at the same time, and I stalked 

 up to a small tree about sixty yards above the rock. I had 

 not waited long when the leopard again appeared, facing 

 me ; I think he saw me but he was quite distinct as he stood 

 on the edge of the precipice, so I took a steady pot at 

 him, a loud thud and the beast was head down and tail 

 up. Francis was delighted and cried out, " all right, he's 

 dead," and was going down to him, but I prevented him. 

 We both thought there was another close at hand and as we 

 were working round to get above the one lying stretched on 

 the grass, apparently as dead as Julius Caesar, I suddenly 

 saw the head and neck of another within twenty yards of me 



