The Opelousas courier., 1886-03-13
HUNTING LEOPARDS.
How the Savage Animals are
Utilized in India.
The Ferocious 0heetah Trained by Natives
to Run Down and Capture Antelopes.

It was here that I witnessed the only
instance I ever saw of the black buck be-
ing run into and killed by the cheetah,
or hunting leopard. Many consider this
a low kind of sport, but / think it is
quite equal to partridge shooting, besides
being a beautiful sight. l shall therefore
describe as we'll as / can what | saw. On
arriving, with my friends, at the place of
meeting in the Jungle, we found a few
rough-and-read looking natives in charge
of three carts, orrather small two-wheeled
platforms, drawn by two bullocks. On
each vehicle sat, in an erect attitude, a
beautiful leopard, strongly chained and
with a hood over his eyes, similar to
those used for hawks. We were soon
under way and driving toward the herd of
antelopes which could be seen grazing in
the distance and which had been marked
down beforehand. There was no difficul-
ty in getting the carts to within 1870
yards of the deer. Then one of the chez
tabs, a fine male was unhooded and set,
free. Its departure from the gharry and
its decision in choosing the most covered
line on 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 stimuli
~taneously halfway toward the fine black
buck it had sighted out for attack.
When at about thirty yards from the I'M
suspicious troop, they suddenly became
aware of the deadly peril they were in.
One and all sprang into the air with gal
vanic bounds, and no doubt expected to
escape easily by flight. But the hunting
cheetah is, I suppose, for a hundred
yards, by far the feetest of all wingless
things; and this one was soon in the
midst Of the affrighted throng, which
scattered wildly and panic-strieken in all
directions, as their leader-a fine black
buck-was struck down in their midst.
Their he lay, alone, in his death agony, in
the deadly clutch of his beautiful and re-
lentless foe. We all ran as hard as we
could, and were soon surrounding the
strange group.
Neither animal moved, for the buck
was paralyzed by fear-his starting eye
balls and dilated nostrils alone gave evil
dence 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 con
tinued the process of s~trangulation. He
was very ~motionless, but his eyes were
fixed upon us with a glare of %extraordina-
ryferocity that became intensified as his
keepers rushed forward and seized the
deer by the hind leg. The brute now
growled fiercely, and, tightening his
clutch, looked SO extremely dangerous
that | was far from envying those who
were in such close proximity to him. But
they knew their trade. With a long
sharp knife they cut the deer's throat and
caused the warm blood to spout in tor
rents into the face of the half-wild beast,
whose whole frame now seemed to thrill
with eestacy. One of the operators, in
the meanwhile, caught a quantity of the
CRIMSON life stream in a wooden bowl, and
forced the steamlng fluid under the very
nose of the excited leopard, who quitting
his hold, at once began to lap with avid
ity. While engaged in this process the
leather hood was swiftly elapped over his
eyes, and the collar with two chains at
taehed, wa adjusted round his neck.
While this was going on third MAJ had
cut off one of the bucks kinds legs, and
this the ttlion's share was held close to
the bloody chalace, which was no sooner
emptied than the brute seized the meat
thus provided with a vice like grip.
Each chain was now grasped by a differ
ent man, who by keeping apart so that
the tether remained taught, kept the
leopard between them in such a 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 %yinison, gently drew
the cheetah to the little cart that had
nov been brought close up. As soon as
the beast felt himself against the edge Of
his own familiar chariot he sprang light
ly upon it and proceeded to demolish his
succulent naoreea@ at his case. InoW in
tho carcass of the deer, with a
to ascertaining, if possible, how the
cheetah had been able SO i~nstantaneosly
to strike down such a powerful animal
Immediately Oh getting up with it. / at
once observed a single long deep cash in
the flank, which wa evidently caused by
The decisive blow. But I.eould not i'm
with what weapon the leopard had
been able to infiet this very strange
wound, for the cheetah has a
foot like a dog, and his claws are not re-
~tractile. Turning then to the beast, as it
sat on the cart, | inspected it closely, and
saw that the dew-claw, which in the dog
appears such q useless appendage, is rep
in this brute by a terrible look
i