The Leopard and Panther 151 



make out the whereabouts of its present occupant. . . . 

 Not seeing anything, our thoughts reverted naturally to 

 the basket. There it stood, just on the other side of 

 Sandford. I stretched across him to reach it with my 

 right hand, and had just grasped the handle, when a suc- 

 cession of short, savage roars broke upon my ears, min- 

 gled with the wild shouts of the natives, who were 

 evidently being chased by the ferocious brute. At this 

 time I felt that my hat would probably do more for me 

 than my gun, so I crushed the former down on my head, 

 seized the latter, and faced the enemy. The panther 

 meanwhile had floored a beater and got him by the arm, 

 but dropping him at once, came at me with lightning 

 bounds. Owing to the beast's tremendous speed, I could 

 see nothing but a shadowy-looking form, with two large, 

 round, bright eyes fixed upon me with an unmeaning stare 

 as it literally flew towards me. Such was the vision of a 

 moment. ... I raised my gun • and fired with all the 

 care I could at such short notice, but I missed, and the 

 panther bounded, light as a feather, with its arms around 

 my shoulders. Thus we stood for a few seconds, and I 

 distinctly felt the animal sniffing for my throat. Mechan- 

 ically I turned my head so as to keep the thick-wadded 

 cape of my helmet in front of the creature's muzzle ; but 

 I could hear and feel plainly the rapid yet cautious efforts 

 it was making to find an opening so as to tear the great 

 vessels that lie in the neck. I had no other weapon but 

 my gun, which was useless while the animal was closely 

 embracing me, so I stood perfectly still, well knowing 

 that Sandford would liberate me if it were possible to do 



