The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-08

the north. and the men on the trees.
who had seen it. said it was a much
smaller one than the first. They told
us also that they had marked it down
in a small but thick bit OF cover a
couple of hundred PAGES or 50 on. This
cover consisted of a stunted seesunl
tree thickly overgroWn with wild con-
Volvulus, with a good deal of under
growth underneath it. As we got
nearer NJ. swore he could see some
thing move on the tree. Closer in
spection revealed the fact that this
was really the case. Kneeling down
and taking careful aim as 10 where
thought 1 had seen the creepers move.
pulled the trigger. This was imme-
diately answered by a muffied sort If
growl followed by the loud thud of a
heavy body falling. Seeing no further
movements in the underground we eau
tiously approached ii. and one of our
followers, holder than the rest, soon
came across the body of the leopard.
extended on its side and quite dead. II
was soon hauled out in the open, and
il proved TO be a three-quarter grown
cub, measuring 5 feet 8 inches as il Law.
This shot fired at random proved a
wonderful huke, for the bullet had
gone through the right eye of the Loop
ard, killing it on the spot. We wera
wondering as to where the other could
have got to when we were suddenly
startled by the cry of "Pheo." repeated
several times. This cry of distress
from some rowing jackal appeared TO
be coming from some mulberry planta-
tons 4 short distance off and to the
north. We at once made our way
thither, followed by a motley crowd of
villagers. headed by the village tab
sildar," rent collector, and other nota-
blss.
In order not to let the men run the
risk of being mauled. We gave strict
orders that no one was 10 get among
the mulberry. but to throw clods from
the outside. The cover was at first
drawn blank, when the crowd. en-
boldened by the on-appearance Of
Master Spots. entered the plantation
pellmell We were ourselves retracing
our footsteps and were on our way
back, when we suddenly heard an an
CRY growl, followed by a succession OF
cultural coughs. On looking around
we found the leopard bounding away
with tail on end, and as it cleared the
ditch round the plantation IL met the
crowd of sightseers, with the head man
of the village leading. A most Axclt-
ing and wonderful sight met our gaze
now. The "tahsildar." or rent collec-
tor, was the first Spots eyes met and
was on him in a twinkling, and knock
ing him over actually knocked over
no less than seven other men, one after
another, without even touching the
ground. The brute seemed TO literally
fly from one victim to another. most
OF whom were clawed on the back as
they turned around to get out of the
way.
1t was simply impossible TO think Of
firing in this melee. and while the
scrimmage lasted we marked down our
now fully reused foe in a small piece
of matching grass. The difficulty now
was how to get at the brute. The
crowd of sightseers had nearly COM
pletely vanished. carrying away with
them all those that were put hors de
combat. Close to the patch of grass
which the leopard had taken shelter
IN was mango sapling. l suggested
to NJ. that, being the lighter and more
active of the two of us. he should climb
into the tree, from which vantage po-
sition he might easily see everything
in the grass. We cautiously advanced
10 the tree, and NJ. was soon up one
of its branches. some eight TO ten feet
or so off the ground. Having handed
NJ. his gun. l AT once withdrew to a
safer place and took my stand behind
a small thorny bush. from where I
could fairly well see all that was going
on in front. NJ. had not been very
long up NAen ne shouted 10 me tlaE
he could see something moving and at
once fred. This was Immediately an
swered by the leopard charging out and
making a dash for the tree. Fortu-
nately for NJ. the brute sprang some
three feet short. We found afterward
that the first shot had disabled it con-
siderably. thus preventing it from max
ing good it's spring. 1t was now my
turn to have my share of the fun, for
spots, on catching sight of me, made
straight for where 1 was standing. I
just managed to get behind the bush
when something yellow flashed past
me. Just as it flashed past me 1 had
a couple of snapshots, the brute going
head over heels. and after a couple Of
somersaults fell dead. Contrary 70
our expectations the leopard was not
what we had at first expected 1t TO be.
i.e., the mother of the cub we had al
ready shot, but was a big male.