The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1909-09-17
TALES OF
A LEOPARD HUNT.

A LEOPARD HUNT.
In a moment all is wild excitement;
mid the shouts of mutual encourage
ment and advice, not to speak of the
canine chorus, it is difficult to make
ones self audible, but eventually we
are successful in dispatching two of
the swiftest runners to endeavOr to
cut off the leopard from the haven of
particularly forbidding strip of bush
which can be seen lying a little way
ahead on the same side of the spruit.
Fast as the youths run, with two
fifths of the pack babbling at their
heels, they arenevertheless too late to
achieve the desired object, and are
just in time to see ringed tail dis
appearing within a tangle of thorns,
rank grass and driftWood, which Is
not less than thirty yards wide, and
in length extends fully quarter of a
mile.
After little discussion pickets are
placed at the most commanding
points, and the smallest boy present
is sent up the largest available tree
on the edge of the bush. We cross
the spruit, and by creeping close down
among the covert On the opposite side
establish ourselves where there is the
possibility of shot should he elect to
cross over, as we can command the
sandy bed for at least a hundred yards
each way. Meantime the beaters en-
ter the bush, theindispensable" "Office"
accompanying, but not on this occa-
sion, preceding them. For a few
minutes nothing is heard save the
sound of crashing drift and breaking
sticks, as the men slowly force their
arduous passage; then comes a wild
shout from the lookout up the tree
just visible from our position-ac-
eompanied by much pointing and such
violent gesticulation that the security
Of his position would seem to be in
some danger. Every one takes up the
cry, the dogs bark, and fancy that
can see something rustling through
he thick stuff opposite, perhaps twen-
.y-five PAGES distant. There Is barely
time to raise the rife and put in a
single shot before all is still again,
but nevertheless it seems good policy
TO plant few more bullets in the di-
rection whittier the movement seemed
70 have been tending. 1t takes some
minutes before the beaters have con-
verged on the place, and we all then
advance with due precaution. Alas!
nothing rewards our eager scrutiny of
the ground for blood spoor. True,
the underground is so thick that a few
CORY spots might easily escape detec-
tion; indeed, the animal himself
might be crouching close by without
any one being the wiser. The latter
thought is one that is so apt to seize
upon the imagination when the first
excitement Is over that it supplies the
motive for the order to beat an imme-
diate retreat. A possibly wounded
leopard, and covert like this, is about
the nastiest combination it is possible
to conceive.
At this moment the undaunted
@Office" springs forward, betraying
Every sign of excitement-he has been
shifting round for the last few minutes
and disappears in sort of tunnel
of grass and dead sticks. Unwilling
to let him gamble further with for
tune to-day, we call him back ener-
getically-absolutel no good-the
dog is as full of fire as at the begin
ming of the hunt, and now the barks
change to growls and sounds as of
worrying. The men exchange glances
and a forward movement is simulta-
neous. At first nothing can be seen.
Then the dogs hindquarters can be
distinguished as he pulls and tears at
something which is evidently lying on
the ground, and moment later we
are standing over fine male leopard,
stone dead. BY some extraordinary
freak of chance one of the random
bullets had hit him behind one ear,
and almost lifted off the top of the
skull, of course killing him instantly.
He must have dropped in his tracks
without uttering a sound, in the act
of attempting to creep away in the
long grass. 1t Is the kind of luck
that might perhaps occur once in a
million times, and certainly reflects
small credit upon the marksman.
Still, there is no necessity to give
ones self away to ones followers, and
an attitude of calm Indifference seems
most fitting to the occasion.-Major
St@genson-Hamilton, in Blackwood's.