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 



