UP A TREE IN THE JUNGLE 183 
wicked tusks matched him in all his moves and 
springs. It made no difference which way the 
leopard would spring, it was always met by a rip- 
ping of the tusks. It was an ideal place for an 
encounter of this kind; a clear, open space, neither 
having an advantage, the ground baked hard. It 
gave a firm foothold to the boar as it allowed it to 
turn and meet the rushes and springs of the leopard, 
and as the leopard would spring the boar would dart 
forward, throwing up its head at the same time, the 
tusks ripping whatever they came in contact with. 
‘The object of the leopard was to get a firm hold on 
the back of the boar, while the boar, unmindful of 
biting and clawing, was bent on getting: the leopard 
down and disemboweling him. The men became 
as excited as the monkeys in the trees, and it was 
difficult to distinguish which were making the more 
noise or were the more excited. I am positive we 
looked upon the fight ten minutes, and I cannot 
judge how long they were at it before we came upon 
them; they were both becoming weaker from the 
loss of blood. 
As we watched them with bated breath, the leop- 
ard kept circling around, crouching for a spring, 
while the boar, never taking its small red eyes from 
the leopard, with head lowered, was watching 
and ready to meet the next move. Almost 
too quick for the eye to follow, the leopard sprang 
at the boar like lightning, the boar jumped forward 
and aside and, in a flash, turned and as the leopard 
