VIII 
THE LEOPARD 
299 
We galloped forward in the direction they had 
taken, and in less than 300 yards we arrived at the 
spot where the cheetah had pinned the buck ; this 
was lying upon its back without a struggle, while 
the firm jaws of the pursuer gripped its throat. 
The cheetah did not attempt to shake or tear 
the prey, but simply retained its hold, thus strang¬ 
ling the victim, which had ceased all resistance. 
The keeper now arranged the hood upon the 
cheetah’s head, thus masking the eyes, which were 
gleaming with wild excitement, but it in no way 
relaxed its grip. Taking a strong cord, the keeper 
now passed it several times around the neck of the 
buck, while it was still held in the jaws of the 
cheetah, and drawing the cord tight, he carefully 
cut the throat close to the teeth of the tenacious 
animal. As the blood spurted from the wound, it 
was caught in a large but shallow wooden bowl or 
ladle, furnished with a handle. When this was 
nearly full, the mask was taken off the cheetah, and 
upon seeing the spoon full of blood it relaxed its 
grasp and immediately began to lap the blood from 
its well-known ladle. When the meal was finished, 
the mask or hood was replaced, and the cheetah 
was once more confined within its cage, as it would 
not run again during that day. 
The wooden ladle is, to the cheetah, an attraction 
corresponding to the “ lure ” of a falcon; the latter 
is an arrangement of feathers to imitate a bird. 
The ladle is known by the cheetah to be always 
connected with blood, which it receives as a reward 
