THE LEOPARD— THE LYNX 198 



you would like to join in a few words of prayer 

 instead ? " 



"Mr. Sheepyard, sir," said the old sailor, with 

 great emphasis, " I've a great respect for the 

 'Igher Powers — always 'ad, sir. They're very good 

 to us and all that 'ere, and wot I says is leave 'em 

 alone. If you goes on a-prayin' to 'em and a- 

 disturbin' of 'em every day same as wot you do, 

 Mr. Sheepyard, you''ll rouse 'em, that's wot you'll 

 do, and then goodness knows wot'U 'appen. You 

 take my tip, sir, and leave 'em alone." 



The commander turned sadly upon his heel, 

 and shaking his head good-humouredly, slowly 

 gained his end of the ship. 



But Watson wUl never be convinced to his 

 dying day that the spirit of prophecy was not 

 upon him as he spoke, for the very next morning 

 the ill-starred commander went ashore with a 

 shotgun, fell in with a leopard, and was so 

 severely clawed in the encounter that finally he 

 succumbed to his injuries. 



The African Lynx occurs sparingly throughout 

 Zambezia, subsisting upon birds of all kinds and 

 small mammals. 



He is a long-limbed, almost inelegantly built 

 creature, much smaller than the leopard, to 

 which he bears but a scanty resemblance. The 

 spotting of the lynxes is very sparse and faint, 

 but from the ears spring curious tufts of hair, by 

 which alone his species may readily be identified 

 apart from a somewhat dingy yellowish colour 

 scheme. 



Lynxes are very rarely seen. They frequent 



