116 



ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



take up his scent at all. I led them over his spoor again 

 and again, but to no purpose ; the dogs seemed quite 

 stupid, and yet they were Wolf and Boxer, my two best. 



At length I gave it up as a lost affair, and was riding 

 down the river's bank, when I heard Wolf give tongue 

 ]t)ehind me, and, galloping back, found him at bay with_ 

 the leopard, immediately beneath where I had fired at 

 him : he was very severely wounded, and had slipped 

 down into the river's bed and doubled back, whereby 

 he had thrown out both the dogs and myself. As I 

 approached he flew out upon Wolf and knocked him 

 over, and then, running up the bed of the river, took 

 shelter in a thick bush : Wolf, however, followed him, 

 and at this moment my other dogs came up, having 

 heard the shot, and bayed him fiercely. He sprang out 

 upon them, and then crossed the river's bed, taking 

 shelter beneath some large tangled roots on the opposite 

 bank. As he crossed the river I put a third bullet into 

 him, firing from the saddle, and as soon as he came to 

 bay, I gave him a fourth, which finished him. This 

 leopard was a very fine old male: in the conflict the 

 unfortunate Alert was wounded, as usual, getting his 

 face torn open ; he was still going on three legs, with 

 all his breast laid bare by the first water-buck. 



In the evening I directed ray Hottentots to watch a 

 fine pool in the river, and do their best while I rode to 

 a distant pool several miles up the Ngotwani, reported 

 as very good for game, to lie all night and watch : my 

 Totties, however, fearing " Tao," disobeyed me. On 

 reaching the water I was bound for, T found it very 

 promising, and, having fastened my two horses to a 

 tree beneath the river's bank, I prepared a plabe of con- 

 oealment close by, and lay down for the night. 



The river's banks on each side were clad with groves 



