VIII 
THE LEOPARD 
297 
been struck before it had cleared the surface ; it 
had therefore attained a high altitude in a different 
direction, from which it could swoop obliquely when 
the lake no longer lay beneath them. This man was 
a high authority, and he assured me that many well- 
trained falcons would decline to strike a bird when 
flying across water, as they thoroughly understood 
the danger. 
We had several good flights, in one of which a 
large crane succumbed after a very severe struggle, 
which seemed to test the utmost strength of the 
peregrine, but in every case the attack was 
delivered from a superior altitude, which left no 
chance of escape to the bird beneath ; the result 
depended upon the power of the falcon to continue 
its hold during the struggles of the heavier and 
more powerful bird. 
On the day following our arrival at Dubka, we 
devoted ourselves to hunting the black-buck with 
cheetah. In this sport, all persons, excepting the 
keepers of the animals, are simply spectators, and 
no interference is permitted. Each cheetah occu¬ 
pies a peculiar cage, which forms the body of a cart, 
drawn by two bullocks. When game is expected, 
the cheetah is taken from the cage, and occupies 
the outside seat upon the top, together with the 
keeper. The animal is blinded by a hood, similar 
to that worn by the falcon, and it sits upright like a 
dog, with the master s arm around it, waiting to be 
released from the hood, which it fully understands 
is the signal that game is sighted. 
