TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 203 
The goat had been procured, and after supper we 
had it tied in between the fences of the zareba. Our 
stolen homestead being of native make, I had a great 
loop-hole made for me in the inner circle and remained 
inside our main camp. You have to do this miserable 
form of sport to bag leopards, because they are too 
cunning as a rule to appear in the day-time, and 
rarely walk about in the open way lions will. There 
is nothing magnificent about the character of a leopard. 
He is a mere cunning thief. 
A rush, and the leopard was on his prey, his side 
towards me, his tail slowly lashing from left to right 
with pleasure as he drank the warm blood. I carefully 
sighted. It was not a dark night, and I simply couldn’t 
miss. Bang ! Then the second barrel. The whole 
caravan turned out, and buzzed like disturbed bees, 
one or two wakeful spirits singing the chant they 
keep for the occasion of the killing of some dangerous 
beast. I had the leopard kept as he was until morning, 
when I examined him to find he was of the Marehan 
variety, or hunting leopard, quite different to his first 
cousin Felis ftardus. His head was smaller, and much 
more cunning looking, and he was distinguished from 
the panther by non-retractile claws. He was fawn in 
colour, and his teeth were old and much worn. 
It took two men now pretty well all their time to 
see after the trophies, and bar the way they went on 
with anything to do with wart-hog, they really were 
most assiduous and careful. At first the men actually 
routed us out every time the loading-up commenced 
in order that we should put bits of pig on to the 
