WATCHING FOR A LEOPARD. 51 



lean ; and I began to think that there was very little chance 

 if our feline friend taking the trouble to come for so poor 

 , supper. But as Jeetoo seemed confident that the beast 

 70uld come — and he was seldom wrong in his conjectures 

 egarding game — I determined to wait there, at any rate 

 intil dark. So, having mounted the tree, we dismissed our 

 ollowers, who departed exerting their lungs to the fullest 

 xtent. 



Tlie bones were at the foot of a rock in a small wooded 

 avine on a steep hillside, and our position in a tree which 

 Tew a little below was almost on a level with them, and 

 bout twelve yards distant. 



We had been watching for barely a quarter of an hour, 

 nd every minute darkness was growing apace, when I heard 



slight rustle among the dead leaves, and felt Jeetoo gently 

 iressing my arm. In a few more seconds I saw the leopard 

 link noiselessly up below our tree and look stealthily around, 

 might have fired at him then, but I waited until he reached 

 he bones, making sure that I should get a more certain shot. 

 )n finding so little to eat, he commenced glowering about as 

 I at a loss to know what had become of his leavings. Care- 

 uUy I now began raising the rifle, but in doing so it touched 

 n unlucky twig that chanced to be in the way. Slight as 

 he noise was, it caused the leopard to start and look upward; 

 nd before I could close the stock to my shoulder, with one 

 ound he reached the top of the rock above him and was out 

 jf sight. I sent a random shot after the brute, but never saw 



sign of him again. I had " counted my chickens before 

 hey were hatched." My delay in shooting had lost me my 

 Ihance. This little incident with the leopard, which may 

 'ave served to illustrate one of the many hunting stratagems 

 sed in these mountains, has caused me almost to forget tlie 

 ^tr-eating stag we had come out to look for. 



After making an unsuccessful search for any traces of 

 10 leopard, I started on the following afternoon with Jeetoo 

 )r the place where he had reported the stag was to ha 



