NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



leopard had evidently attempted to seize a porcu- 

 pine with its jaws, and hi the latter case a blow 

 had no doubt been aimed at a porcupine's most 

 vulnerable part, viz. its head, and unfortunately 

 for the leopard, instead of striking the snout of 

 the intended victim, its soft pad struck the sharp 

 point of a quill. 



It is a common occurrence for hunters to have 

 their meat purloined by leopards during the night. 

 So wary and secretive is the animal that it fre- 

 quently succeeds in actually carrying off the meat 

 without waking the dogs, and the dogs of hunters 

 a*re by no means slothful or inclined to sleep 

 heavily. 



Instances are on record of it having even crept 

 into tents and taken the flesh from beside the 

 sleeping men, the evidence of the fact being the 

 disappearance of the provender and the spoor of 

 the animal. 



When the men of the Stone Age penetrated 

 into South Africa from the north, driven down 

 by hordes stronger than themselves, or in search 

 of better hunting grounds, they attacked the 

 leopard, and driving it forth from the rock shelters 

 and caves, took possession of them. However, 

 the leopard had comparatively little to fear from 

 these wild men. On the advent of the pygmy 

 Bushmen the leopard had a more formidable enemy 

 to contend with. 



In pairs and in hordes these pygmies stalked the 

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