I90 THE FORESTS OF UPPER INDIA 



he pointed to where the leopard had sprung, nearly to 

 the tent door, before disappearing among the bushes. 

 I tried long to sight him crouched in the shadow, but 

 failed to see him. To draw him out, I tied a white kid on 

 a bank to a bush, and waited with the rifle ready. It was 

 now getting dark, but I saw, as I thought, the kid spring 

 up the bank, only the long tail was not that of a kid. It 

 was too dark to distinguish anything but the form of 

 some animal, so I fired at the beast and saw it spring 

 away into the bushes untouched ; but in the instant it 

 had killed the kid, which I examined and found dead. 

 There was a little native chappar, where a native was 

 cooking his evening meal and a small fire burning. In 

 this I crouched, and got a better view of the white kid 

 lying about six yards off. Presently a dark object seemed 

 to glide across the white kid, and it had the round form 

 of a leopard's head, crouching almost flat ; the long body 

 could just be made out. Taking a bit of burning charcoal, 

 I placed it on the rifle end to act as a front sight, and found 

 no difficulty in placing it where the beast's shoulder 

 should be, and fired. The result was some very ugly 

 grunts and roars, and a scrimmage could be heard among 

 the bushes on the bank, then some kicks and groans 

 which sounded like the end. My bearer got a lanthorn, 

 hung from a long bamboo, and lowered it over the spot, 

 among rocks and jungle, while I pointed steadily with the 

 rifle to make sure he should not be alive and able to spring ; 

 but no movement came, and at last we could see the spots 

 and form of a fine leopard lying dead, and no mistake, 

 among the rocks. This was a great joy to the syces and 

 camp followers, who had for several nights been annoyed 

 by this leopard prowling round. Several times the horses 

 had jumped and broken their heel-ropes in the night. 

 The goats and sheep had had a rough time, two of them 



