VIII 
THE LEOPARD 
295 
the ground, having been subject to inundations, was 
now perfectly dry, and exposed a large plain, like an 
open race-course, upon which the young grass was 
about 2 inches high. In the neighbourhood of this 
plain there were a few low hills covered with sparse 
jungle, and for several miles around, the flat surface 
was more or less overgrown with bush, interspersed 
with patches of cultivation. 
On the first day’s journey we travelled along 
a dusty road, which had never been metalled, for 
the reason that no stone existed in the neighbour¬ 
hood ; the wheels of the carriages sank deeply in the 
sandy loam, and the saddle was a far more enjoyable 
seat than a struggling wheeled conveyance. The 
falconers enlivened the journey by several flights at 
herons and cranes, which were very numerous in 
the marshes that bordered occasional lakes or jheels. 
We had the opportunity of observing the sagacity 
of a peregrine falcon, which, immediately upon being 
unmasked, rose straight in the air, instead of follow¬ 
ing the heron on its direct course. At first I 
imagined that it did not see the bird, which flew very 
high, and kept above the lake. Presently the falcon 
took a totally opposite direction, soaring to an altitude 
that reduced it to a mere speck. By this time the 
heron had cleared the large expanse of water, and 
was at a great height, perpendicular with the 
dry land beneath. The falcon made a sudden 
swoop, and with the velocity of a meteor it shot 
downwards upon an oblique course towards the 
unlucky heron. This bird had evidently been 
