224 
THE LION AND OTHER BEASTS OF PREY 
to seek for any game I might find. After riding about a mile along 
the river’s green bank, I came suddenly upon an old male leopard, 
lying under the shade of a thorn grove, and panting from the great 
heat. Although I was within sixty yards of him, he had not heard the 
horse’s tread. I thought he was a lioness, and, dismounting, took a rest 
in my saddle on the Old Gray, and sent a bullet into him. He sprang 
to his feet and ran half way down the river’s bank, and stood to look 
about him, when I sent a second bullet into his person, and he dis¬ 
appeared over the bank. The ground being very dangerous, I did not 
disturb him by following then, but I at once sent Ruyter back to camp 
for the dogs. Presently he returned with Wolf and Boxer, very much 
done up with the sun. I rode forward, and, on looking over the bank, 
the leopard started up and sneaked off alongside of the tall reeds, and 
was instantly out of sight. I fired a random shot from the saddle to 
encourage the dogs, and shouted to them; they, however, stood looking 
stupidly around, and would not take up his scent at all. I led them over 
his spoor, again and again, but to no purpose; the dogs seemed quite 
stupid, and yet they were Wolf and Boxer, my two best. 
“At length I gave it up as a lost afifair, and was riding down the 
river’s bank, when I heard Wolf give tongue behind me, and, galloping 
back, found him at bay with the leopard, immediately beneath where 
I had fired at him; he was very severely wounded, and had slipped 
down into the river’s bed and doubled back, whereby he had thrown 
out both the dogs and myself. As I approached, he flew out upon Wolf 
and knocked him over, and then, running up the bed of the river, took 
shelter in a thick bush: Wolf, however, followed him, and at this 
moment my other dogs came up, having heard the shot, and bayed 
him fiercely. He sprang out upon them, and then crossed the river’s 
bed, taking shelter beneath some large tangled roots on the opposite 
bank. As he crossed the river, I put a third bullet into him, firing 
from the saddle, and, as soon as he came to bay, I gave him a fourth, 
which finished him. This leopard was a very fine old male; in the 
conflict, the unfortunate Alert was wounded, as usual, getting his face 
torn open; he was still going upon three legs, with all his breast laid 
bare by the first water-buck. 
“In the evening I directed my Hottentots to watch a fine pool in 
