158 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA CHAP. 



the time, and on strolling over to the open 

 window was surprised to see the wet, muddy foot- 

 marks of some large animal plainly visible on the 

 sill. On hearing his exclamation of surprise, his 

 daughter jumped up from the piano, and seeing the 

 spoor, followed it across the drawing-room and 

 through a doorway into the bedroom beyond. Just 

 as she got inside the door she was much astonished 

 and startled to see, projecting from under the bed, a 

 leopard's tail ! Hastily retreating, she called out 

 to her father that there was a leopard under the 

 bed. This sounded so incredible that for the 

 moment he thought she must be mistaken, espe- 

 cially as on going into the room he saw no sign of 

 the tail. To make sure, however, he put his head 

 down to look and was met by a fierce growl from 

 the open jaws of the leopard. Needless to say he 

 lost no time in putting the door between himself and 

 the angry beast. Borrowing a rifle from a friend, 

 as he did not happen to have one of his own at 

 hand, he now went round to the bedroom window 

 to shoot it. The instant he showed himself the 

 leopard dashed frantically at him, but fortunately the 

 window had iron bars across it, so the savage brute 

 was unable to break through, and was soon de- 

 spatched without having injured anyone. There 

 were various theories at the time to account for the 

 leopard's boldness. Some said he was charmed into 



