Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-02-12
THE HUNTING LEOPARD.
A SINGULAR KIND or SPORT WHICH
IS PRAcTlcEp IN THE JUNGLE.
The Choetah the Flootest Of All Wing.
less Things-stFangllng Ills Proy--A
Feast of BloOd-A Terrible Looking
Dew-Claw and It's Work.

Dew-claw and It's Work.
Think 1t was here that | witnessed the
only instance that / ever saw Of the black
buck being run into and killed by the
cheetah, or hunting leopard. Many con.
slaer TINS a low kind Of sport, but l think
IL Is quite equal to partridge shooting, be.
sides being a beautiful sight. l shall
therefore describe as well as / can what !
saw. On arriving with my friends at the
place OF meeting in the jungle we found q
rev ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS natives in
charge or three carts, or, rather, small
two-Wheeled platforms, drawn by bull
ocks. On each vehicle sat, in an erect at
tltude, q beautiful leopard, strongly
chained, and with q hood over his eye
similar to those used for hawks. We were
soon under way and driving toward the
nerd OF a%ntelopes which could be seen
grazing in the distance and which had
been marked down beforehand. There
was no difficulty in getting the carts to
within l2O yards of the deer. Then one of
tne cheetahs, a fine male, was unhooded
and set free.
The sWlFTEST OF ALL ANIMALS.
It's departure from the gharry and its
decision in choosing the most covered line
In the open plain for rushing on its prey
were SO instantaneous and rapid as to be
quite marvellous. 1t seemed to vanish
from the cart and appear simultaneously
halfway toward the fine black buck it
had singled out for attack. When at
about thirty yards from the u%nsuspicious
troop they suddenly became aware of the
deadly peril they were in. One and all
sprang into The air with g~alvanic bounds,
and no doubt expected to escape easily by
flight. But the hunting cheetah is, l sup
pose, for a hundred yards, by far the feet
est Of all wingless things; and this one
was soon in the midst of the affrighted
throng, which scattered wildly and panic
stricken i l all directions, as their leader
a fine black buck-was struck down in
their midst. There he lay, alone, in his
death agony, in the deadly clutch of his
beautiful and relentless foe. We ran as
hard as we could and were soon surround.
ing the strange group.
Neither animal moved, for the buck was
paralyzed by fear-his startling eyeballs
and dilated nostrils alone gave evidence of
life. The cheetah, on the other hand, with
his body spread out over the PROSTATE
form Of his victim, seemed to strain every
nerve in pressing his prey against the
earth as, with his long, sharp fangs buried
in its delicate throat, he continued the
process Of strangulation. He was very
motionless, but his eyes were fixed upon
US with a glare of extraordinary ferocity
that became intensified as his keepers
rushed forward and seizedrthe deer by the
hind leg. The brute nov growled f~iercely,
and, Tightening his clutch, looked so ex-
tremely dangerous that l was far from
envying those who were in such close
proximity to him. But they know their
trade. With q long, sharp knife they cut
the deer's throat and caused the warm
blood to spout in torrents into the face of
the half-wild beast, whose whole frame
now seemed to thrill with ecstasy. One
of the operators, in the meanwhile, caught
q quantity of the crimson life stream in a
wooden bowl, and forced the steaming
fluid under the very nose of the excited
leopard, who, quitting his hold, at once
began to lap with avidity.
GIVING AWAY H "LIoN's SHARE"
While engaged in this process the
leather hood was swiftly clapped over his
eyes, and the collar, with two chains at
tached, vas adjusted round his neck.
While this was going on o third man had
cut off n of the bucks hind legs, and
this, the "lion's share" was held close to
the bloody chalice, which was no sooner
emptied than the brute seized the meat
thus provided with a vise-like grip. Each
was now grasped by O different
man, who, by keeping apart so that the
tether remained taut, kept the leopard
between them in such q way that neither
was within reach of his claws or teeth.
Then the third individual, who had ever
retained his hold of the shank-bone of the
leg of v%enison, gently drew the cheetah to
the little cart that had now been brought
close up. AS soon as the beast felt him
self against the edge Of his own familiar
chariot he sprang lightly upon it and pro-
ceeded to demolish his succulent moroccan
at his ease.
Inow% inspected the carcass of the deer
with a view Of ascertaining, if possible,
how the cheetah had been able SO instan-
taneously to strike down such q powerful
animal Immediately on getting up with it.
I at once observed a single long, deep cash
in the flank, which was evidently caused
by the decisive blow. But l could not inn
agine with what weapon the leopard had
been able to infict this strengthening
wound, for the cheetah has q foot like a
dog and his claws are not retractile.
Turning then to the beast as it sat upon
the cart, 1 inspected it closely and saw
that the dew-claw, which in the dog ap-
pears such a useless appendagc, i repre-
in this brute by a terrible-looking
talon exactly suited to the infection Of
such a gash.-Cor. Our Indian Stations.