XV UNSUCCESSFUL RHINO HUNTS 169 
trace of a possible enemy. At length it reached the 
brink of the river in safety, and stooped to drink. 
Just then I saw a jackal come up on its trail and 
begin carefully to stalk it, not even rustling a fallen 
leaf in its stealthy advance on the poor little 
antelope. All of a sudden, however, the. jackal 
stopped dead for a second, and then made off out of 
sight as fast as ever he could go. I looked round 
to discover the cause of this hurried exit, and to my 
surprise saw a large and very beautiful leopard 
crouching down and moving noiselessly in the 
direction of our tree. At first I thought it must be 
stalking some animal on the ground below us, but I 
soon realised that it was Mahina that the brute was 
intent on. Whether, if left to himself, the leopard 
would actually have. made a spring at my sleeping 
gun-bearer, I do not know ; but I had no intention 
of letting him have a chance of even attempting this, 
so I cautiously raised my rifle and levelled it at him. 
Absolutely noiseless as I was in doing this, he 
noticed it—possibly a glint of moonlight on the 
barrel caught his eye—and immediately disappeared 
into the bush before I could get in a shot. I at once 
woke Mahina and made him come up to more 
secure quarters beside me. 
For a long time after this nothing disturbed our 
peace, but at last the quarry I had hoped for made 
his appearance on the scene. Just below us there 
