The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1893-11-04
HUNTING THE LEOPARD.
AN UNUSUALLY DANGEROUS
Gl.sy GASlATlC SPORT. "a:
The Animal Is Cowardly and sneaking,
But When It Is Cornered 1t Is q Had
Beast to Fool With-It Can Hide Eff
feetually in q Small Place.

Inc leopard IS, IN my opinion,
rather vulgar animal It is vulgar
in two senses. It is very common in
many parts of Asia and Africa, and
it's general habits are low, cowardly
and sneaking. It's redeeming quality
is that it has considerable beauty of
form and fur. So, for that matter,
has almost every one of the cat tribe
During long residence in India I
became tolerably familiar with leop-
ards. I once kept two little cubs
about 5 months old, but when in my
experience I had them washed with
soap and water, to get rid of their
heas, they resented the insult and
died. -. i,
lnever really liked leopards. Mr..
Wood, the naturalist, describes them
as creatures of almost inoffensive
habits, but enemies to poultry and
fatal to fowls. On the other hand l
have recently seen an account in an
Indian paper of a leopard that killed
in the course of eighteen months
more than $50 human beings. Such
murderous beast never came with
in my cognizance, though l fear that
the story was true.
+ AS a rule, a man does not 90 out
leopard-hunting as he goes snipe-
shooting Or tiger-shooting. Usually
the news is brought by an excited
and affrighted native that a leopard
has entered his premises, and, after
killing his child, or goat or fowl,
has hid itself in some shed or out
house. On such an appeal it is
usual to go out and try to kill
that leopard. If a companion can be
found it is better for two men to 90
together, than for one man to 20
alone with only native followers Al
most the first case that I remember
to which we were called, we found
that the leopard was ensconsed in a
mat and thatch cowshed, of which
the door had been closed on him. We
rather rashly opened the door in
order to peep in. There was rush
and scuff1e, as the leopard tore the
door open wider and jumped out to
escape. We were lucky in not being
knocked down or even scratched.
But eeleopard did not get right
away. It foolishly entered another
shed, which was promptly closed on
him, and we had to begin again. Ny
companion climbed on to the roof
| with his gun, and an active native
got up with him to tear open hole
in the thatch of the roof. / stood on
the ground with clear space before
me, ir case the leopard should turn
out in my direction. The eager
crowd of natives, who had como, re-
gardless of danger, was induced to
| retire to distance, while the most
nimble of them climbed up into trees
or onto the roofs of the adjacent
huts. It takes longer to write this
than to give an idea of what actually
| happened. The native who was
tearing hole in the thatch of the
shed had rashly tried to look in to
see where the leopard was In
moment the leopard sprang at him,
and it's head appeared through the
thatch. My companion put his gun
to the beasts head and sent bullet
through it's brain so that it dropped
dead into the hut.
But there were loud cries from the
native on the roof, for the bullet,
after passing through the leopard 8
skull, had grazed the mans body,
so that he was bleeding profusely
and crying out that he was killed.
He was quickly brought down from
the roof of the shed, and his wound
was washed, and found to be little
more tnan skin-deep A present of
few rupees soon comforted him,
and he became. not undeservedly,
the hero Of tho day among his fell
low villagers. The carcass of the
leopard was slung from bamboo
and brought to our house. and the
skin became the property of my COM
panion.
/ As a rule 1t is best to shoot leop-
ards on foot, the alternative bein e
to shoot them from tho howdah on
the back of an elephant. Thsre are
several reasons for this, givek by a
writer in Longman's Magazins. In
the first place, when a man is on
foot, and can post himself judicious
" so as to get clear shot, the
leopard is more likely to come out,
as it is wanted to come, as soon as
the beaters, begin to try to drive it,
with their sticks and clubs and
shouts. in the direction indicated.
The leopard comes sneaking out.
half stopping to listen to the noises
behind him, or he may come out at
full speed, making his way to another
patch Of bushes. My friend, Mr. F.
3. Simons, by far the best shot and
sportsman Of his time in Lower Ben
gal, has written in his book that he
used to fatter himself that he used
to put q ball petty near exactly
where he liked into q leopard from
twenty-five to forty yards distance.
It was not my fortune to he able to
do any thing like that.
The leopard is not a large animal,
and its vulnerable parts, especially
the head and neck, are small. 1t