The Van Buren press., 1898-10-15
Hunting Snow Leopards /
By CLARENCE PULLEN.
Copyright, 1898,


lit HIS is the skin Of Himalayan,
or snow leopard, The hair, you
see, is long, ard SO thick and crinkly
that you almost might call it woolly;
the black spots on the back, sides and
tail are much larger than those of the
tropical leopard, and they are distrib-
uted on a ground color of whitish-
gray. Notice the black ears with the
yellowish spot on each. These are
characteristic markings of the ami
NAL" said Capt. Ramsey, formerly OF
the British army, after he had dis
cussed with the New York taxiderm-
list some points about the mounting OF
the skin that he recently had brought
from India. The brute that wore this
skin fell to my gun two years ago on
the western slope of the Himalayas
near the upper waters OF the SutleJ
river. You know something of course
of the height and yastness of the Hi
malaya mountains. After you have
climbed from the Indian plains to a
height of 10000 feet you have got to
the hunting grounds for the snow
leopard. He is fierce, shy animal,
hard to find and to kill; the difficulties
in hunting him l suppose are what
makes the sport so attractive.
"At the foot of the glaciers, at an al
titude of from $4,000 to $4,000 feet,
you may begin your hunting for snow
leopards, If any of your native serv-
ants from the low plains country
have stayed with you so far they will
probably collapse at this point and
will have to be sent back; but If your
men are Ghurkas of the hills, their
pluck and endurance will carry them
as high up among the mountains as
YOU yourself can go. The men that go
back, you replace by mountaineers'
the people whose queer little villages
stand amid barley and buckwheat
patches. on sheltered slopes and strips
of bottom land along the Sutlej river,
all the way up to the plateau of TIBET.
"You are now above timber line
The snowy peaks tower above the
steep and stony foreground at your
feet mostly barren but with patches Of
thin grass, caranga bushes, furze and
dwarf willow and birch trees. Here
and there along the stream side in.some
sheltered valley there may be fringe
of stunted walnut, yew or deodar
trees; ard in the rocks amid which
they grow the snow leopard is apt TO
make his den. In country so steep
and rugged it would be next to hope
less to attempt to beat up or track
down the leopard. Your effort must
be directed to decoy him within rifle
shot. Having marked down the place
which a leopard frequents, screen is
built of rocks and busiest in such way
as to present a natural appearance.
At a distance of 100yards away goat
is chained to rock or stake at night
fall and, with one trustworthy man,
YOU take your position behind the
screen. 1t is necessary that you
bring plenty of woolen blankets, for
the nights, high in the mountains, are
of wiutry coldness even in summer,
and you must lie motionless, 1t may
be. for many hours. Uneasy IN It's
strange surroundings, the goat bleats
and the sound. travelling far in the
mountain stiffness, will draw the at
tention of a leopard at a long dis
tance away.
an the first nights hunting the
snortsman searches the darkness with
his eyes expecting every minute that
the leopard will appear. He learns in
time to take matters more coolly-to
expect nothing, and to pass long hours
of waiting as comfortably as he can.
The frosty stars shine down from a
clear wintry sky, the moon comes up
from behind the eastern crest, throw
ing the snowy peaks in strong relief
against the sky and Eliminating the
yrav landscape around; but ofthe ieop-
ard there is no sight or sound. If the
waiting be long the hunter perhaps
drowses Of to- sleep TO be awakened at
last by the touch Of the man watching
beside him and the whisper;
"Sahib. the leopard comes
"He is fully awake at once. without
moving a limb he follows with his eyes
the rSze Of his attendant; but look
.lo,ely as he will, be can see nothing