A TERRIBLE STRUGGLE, 
229 
Upcher of the fifty-first, started out snipe shooting this 
morning with my gun. He had not gone far, when he met 
Colonel J., who told him that there was a leopard in the 
cave in the rocks, close to the lines of the regiment. Upcher, 
who is always ready for a bit of sport, immediately took the 
shot out of the barrels of the gun and put in ball and sallied 
forth with J. and a young fellow^ T — — by name. 
The latter was placed on the top of the rock whilst Upcher 
and J, walked up to the mouth of the cave, which had two 
entrances. They could not see the leopard at first, but on 
getting a litde higher on the rock, Upcher caught sight of 
it and fired. The beast at once rushed out and ran behind a 
large rock. They both made after him, Colonel J. following 
the cheeta s path, while Upcher went round the other way so 
as to meet it, which he pretty soon did ; and the moment the 
leopard caught sight of him, he came slap at him. Upcher 
jumped two or three paces one one side and fired. The shot 
only staggered the brute, and Upcher at once tried to make 
off, but before he could turn round the leopard was almost 
upon him. Seeing now that it all depended on his presence 
of mind, activity and strength, he struck the animal with 
the gun with all his force as the leopard was in the act of 
striking him, and so warded off the blow from his head and 
only received a severe cut on his right cheek from the beast's 
claws from one paw, the other at the same moment striking 
the gun and sending it clean away. Upcher then put his 
right hand into the leopard's mouth, and with the other hand 
grasped him tight round the throat The brute as soon as he 
found that Upcher had got him by the throat, let go of his 
hand and caught him near the elbow ; Upcher still keeping 
his hand and part of the forearm in the mouth. By this time 
