Chap, L] 
LEOPAKDS. 
" The predicament was not a pleasant one. I had no 
weapon of defence, and with one spring or blow of his 
paw the beast could have annihilated me. To move I 
knew would only encourage his attack. It occurred to 
me at the moment that I had heard of the power of 
man's eye over wild animals, and accordingly I fixed 
my gaze as intently as the agitation of such a moment 
enabled me on his eyes : we stared at each other for 
some seconds, when, to my inexpressible joy, the beast 
turned and bounded down the straight open path before 
me. This scene occurred just at that period of the 
morning when the grazing animals retired from the open 
patena to the cool shade of the forest : doubtless, the 
leopard had taken my approach for that of a deer, or 
some such animal. And if his spring had been at a 
quadruped instead of a biped, his distance was so well 
measured, that it must have landed him on the neck of 
a deer, an elk, or a buffalo ; as it was, one pace more 
would have done for me. A bear would not have let 
his victim off so easily." 
Notwithstanding the unequalled agility of the mon- 
key, it falls a prey, and not unfrequently, to the leo- 
pard. The latter, on approaching a tree on which a 
troop of monkeys have taken shelter, causes an instant 
and fearful excitement, which they manifest by loud 
and continued screams, and incessant restless leaps from 
branch to branch. The leopard meanwhile walks round 
and round the tree, with his eyes firmly fixed upon his 
victims, till at last exhausted by terror, and prostrated 
by vain exertions to escape, one or more falls a prey to 
his voracity. So rivetted is the attention of both during 
the struggle, that a sportsman, on one occasion, attracted 
by the noise, was enabled to approach within an un- 
