THE CHEETAH 87 



short run, while a Wolf can usually gallop straight away from his 

 pursuer. 



When thus overtaken, the Cheetah makes but little resistance, but 

 is said to be apt to spring on the Horse from behind if chance gives 

 the opportunity of so doing. 



That the whole nature of the animal is not very savage or dangerous, 

 as far as man is concerned, is proved by the facility with which it is 

 tamed, and, indeed, it is much better known as a tame than a wild animal, 

 for, though so widely spread, it is uncommon, and sportsmen seldom 

 come across it. The popularity it used, at any rate, to enjoy among the 

 Indian princes and other well-to-do natives has, however, resulted in its 

 being largely captured and kept for hunting purposes, and it is owing 

 to this that so much is known of its habits and powers. 



The men who capture Cheetahs are in the habit of marking certain 

 trees to which these animals resort to scratch the bark with their claws 

 — a habit well known in all Cats — and also to play about together. 

 Here they set nooses of dried antelope sinews, and when a Cheetah is 

 captured, manage to muffle its head in a blanket, and secure it with 

 ropes, and so drag it home. 



After this the beast is kept sleepless and hungry for days, constantly 

 scared by flapping cloths in its face, and roundly abused by the women, 

 until it submits from exhaustion. Once tamed, the Cheetah is friendly 

 with its keeper, and, the animal being commonly kept tethered to one of 

 the light wooden bedsteads known as " charpoys," man and beast often 

 share the same couch, as depicted in Mr. L. Kipling's "Beast and Man 

 in India." A tame friendly Cheetah purrs like a Cat. 



When taken out to hunt, the Cheetah is placed on a bullock-cart, with 

 its keeper, and the cart is driven as near as possible to the Blackbuck 

 herd destined for attack before unhooding their enemy. Should an 

 Antelope be captured, the keeper runs up and cuts its throat, catching 

 some of the blood in a bowl, and offering it to the Cheetah, which is 

 meanwhile hooded. A good animal will run down three or four Black- 

 bucks in a morning, but, of course, there is much variation in powers 

 among them. Only adult-caught animals are of any use, it being 



