Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-12-30

something dart from one bush to an
other a short way ahead of me.
couldn't exactly make it out at first
| because the dusk had come on: But
| heard a growl that told me all I wanted
| to know. had heard it before, and
knew that l was at pretty close quarters
with a leopard.
Il don't like hunting leopards." muset
Mr.. Akeley. II have never been on tnt
| track of one yet without feeling certain
kind of dread that ! never felt while VIM.
hunting lions, for instance. or any othel
kind of jungle game. As 1t was fast get
| ting dark in this case. realized that thls
| leopard would probably have the adVan
tage in struggle, and had about inquired
| it out that there was good chance fol-
me to back water. My niger tMr. Akele!
says Niger of all native Africans went
crazy, though, and was Tor gong mo I'M
| back the best l could. but finally decided
| to take shot or two at the beast. just
| for luck.
and probably 20 feet across just back OF
the bushes where ! thought the leopard
was hiding, and / decided to get on the
other side. in the hope that from there
might get a good view and Il good shot.
So down l started, but when | had about
reached the bottom l saw that the
leopard was crossing too; about 40 once or o.
of course. was to raise my gun ana fre-
l did shoot once. and then again. 1t was
too dark to tell whether l had hit or NOT.
they kicked up over the leopard l saw
the old girl drop. though. and was half
confident l had done for her Just 10
make sure, though. l fired Two more
shots, and was starting toward her. the
niger. of course, shouting and dancing
with glee because We had brought down
such game.
FURIOUS RUSH ON THE HUNTERS.
But we didn't have chance to get
far" declared Mr. Akeley, warming up to
the thrilling part of his story. IN an IN
slant the old cat was up switching her
tail and snarling viciously with her pain.
She was growing furiously, and all at
once she started for US. 1t doesn't take a
leopard long to go 40 feet. but just as she
started / realized that l hadn't another
shell in my gun. l had one in my hand. |
remembered. though how the remem-
brance came at such time is more than
| can figure out now. For an instant l
was paralyzed with fear and perfectly
helpless. But it was only for an instant:
Somehow | opened my gun and managed
to get that extra shell into 1t, stepping
aside from the old girls path little as
did so Then | raised my gun to fire, in
tending to club it afterward. OF course.
and break the force of the leopard ;
bound by beating her over the head as
she came at me.
Il fred as she was in the air. 1 think"
said Mr.. Akeley, ION the last bound
with which she struck me. She was roar
ing furiously and making a terrible row
and | was thinking my time had come.
| would have sold out pretty cheap just
then. But somehow the leopard must
have hit my gun just before reaching me,
| think. and was thrown Il little bit off in
her spring. Instead of catching me by
the face. therefore her teeth landed in
my right biceps. Her hind feet, too. in
stead of landing squarely on my body. as
she had intended. slipped TO one side and
straddled my right leg. She began gnaw-
ing on my arm the instant she
struck me. of course, but when we went
fell on her side, and | with my right hand
down her throat and my left clutchng II
on the outside. My knees. too. We're
planted sQuarely on her ribs right over
in front and out of the way of her hind
legs, so there was no danger of her rak
ing me with them. She couldn't get them
on the ground, either. to turn herself
over. and one of my arms was caught IN
front of her upper fore paw. SO there was
no danger from that. If l had spent ten
years planning how to take hold OF a
leopard for tussle / couldn't have Jig
ured out a better position than l had. If
she had been on her back she could have
clawed me to death. but she was on her
side and her claws were of no use to her.
NO HELP FROM THE BOY.
"When l saw the position l had |
shouted to my niger to bring his knifeA
said Mr.. Akeley. but my shouting did ND
good. He could have helped me out very
nicely with knife but all he did was to
stand where he was and howl for help.
l realized that l was to have 1t all to MY
self so / started in to put up the best
fight | could. l rammed my right hand
down the old cats throat as far as ]
could and batted her head against the
rocks with the other. chok-
ing with Nth, both b.. as hard as pos
crunched in her ribs as hard as l could.
1T Was an awful struggle to be in, and
I thought l must ultimately Get. the
worst of it: But while was thinking
this and fighting with all my strength it
seemed to me that the struggles of the
leopard began to weaken. And then /,
too, began to weaken. If the leopard
doubled me efforts to crush and choke
her life out She was growing. gnawing
| and snarling viciously and painfully, but
| noticed that her strength was fast 60
lungs was beginning to be very effective.
So struggled on with what strength l
had. and at last the struggles of the
leopard ended. She ceased to scratch and
kick and | knew l had her done. So
pulled my fist from out of her throat and
stood up. My niger ran up at once when
he saw the leopard lying there still, and
handed me my knife. | was tempted to
use it on him, but as was about to give
him a lecture for being such coward
her ladyship gave a couple of gasps as if
she intended to renew the fight. With
great glee ] cut her heart out! How |
ran that knife into her! And then | felt
my strength going. l knew / must get
back to camp to have my wounds dressed.
The leopard had gnawed my right arm
from the shoulder to the wrist. What a
feeling of horror ] had when / remem-
bered that ulcerOus old hyena she had
been eating. thought of blood poisoning
and the sad fate of certain other menu
Der of our expedition who had been half
chewed up by lion.
LEOPARD SKIN FOR FIELD MUSEUM.
80 we left the leopard where l had
! finished her and started for camp. 1t
! took me a long while to get over my
1 wounds. but / came out of it all right.
| That was the hardest fight I ever had.
Z; 1t brought to my mind a whole bookful
of thoughts of things / had done and not
done. and l hope l shall never have such
another experience. The hide of my
| leopard is now here in the custom house.
II. will be mounted soon and put on ex-
Eliot tells me it was the only leopard ever
killed in that way. May / never have to
kill another-in the same way
How many of your shots had taken
| effect before the leopard came at your
Mr.. Akeley was asked.
1 Two, | Think, he replied. Zone of
them had broken one of her legs and the
other passed through the upper part of
the back Of her neck. The wounds would
not have killed her for "a hours, l am
sure"