A Leopard Hunt.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 187, 15 January 1887, Page 2

A Leopard Hunt.

So a very short time saw us mounted on our horßes and following our guide out to the little village of Goree. •'I am not very sure about the wisdom of this business," said Castleton u Oh, it will be all right," I replied. " We must be careful not to fire until we are pretty sure to kill -that's all " "H'm, yes, I suppose so, " assented my comrade, somewhat doubtfully. As a matter of fact, it was not an over wiso businoss. Our regiment was armed in thoso days with the short two grooved Brunswick rifle, a muzzle loader, of course, and one in which the bullet had to be hammered into the muzzle before it could be rammed down with the ramrod. This rendered the process ofc loadiug ao dread fully slo.v that practically it wouid make it quite impossible for either of us to get more than one shot., and it is no easy matter to kill a leopard with one bullet, however well placed. If he were not killed, he would be pretty certain to charge, and wo should be in an awkward plight. Matters did not look much moie encouraging when wo reached Goree. The khubbor was good enough ; there was the place where the kid had been struck, and there were r he drops of blood and footprints of a large leopard'leading into a patch of dense cane-jungle about IUO yards long and 60 yards broad, and we had very little doubt that he was in tbere sure enough. We arranged, somewhat raehly, that we would enter tho jungle from nearly opposite ends of tho patch and work towards the contre. If either of us saw the leopard, we were, if po<-ible, first to whittle and then to call our before shooting. We did this with a double object - first, that wo might not shoot each other ; and secondly, that if one of us wounded the boast and ho came towards the other we might be on the lookout for him, and not be taken un uw.iro^, So we separated ; and I cautiously onrered the left end of the patch, whiiu Ca-tleton mido his entrance on tho right. My end of the jungle was thicker than Ca^tieton's ; but the edge was fairly clear, and by peering under the bruke I could see four or five yards in front of me. Vory ?oin, the cane and buehoe became ho den-e that I had to cle:ir away the loaves with one hand while I hold the riile ready rocked in tho other. We had each a eopoy accompinying us and carrying our second wcipon, the spear. To my man 1 ga\e instructions that rho moment I iired I would hand him back the rillo, and he wai to <j;ivo mo the spear. Of conrso I kept him behind me, *o that, ho shoull be in no daugor. We had not begun our advance moi'otlun twoor three minutes, and hud not penetrated, :it our slow and cautious ]uo?, moie than about 20 yard", when Cntioton whistled lat ouco stood still. After a sight pause, ho called out. in a sort ot -stage whi-por, " I tee him ; but it's a ivn r .y i-hot. I can only «oe hn hind-quar-t.«r*, and thoro i^ a lot of jungle in the \va> Srjnll T -hi-ot?" "Fne away," I roplied, in an equallj mel< di.imane tone, heartily wishing that hi- chance had boon mino. In about hair f i minuto the report of '"as'tleton'c. nflo rang our It was tollowed by an angry roai s 'inowhore from my right front, and rheie wa- a dead silence The ninoke from ' \i»tloton's rifle came floating over my head ; but, though i listened intently with mv ii fie hilf raised to my shoulder not the -ound of a footstep or the cracking of a twig oonld I hear. At last c.illeii out, ' I've hit him, but not badly, I think ; and he has gono oil' in your direction." f-iiving (}a=>tleton time to reload, I again be^.tti moving forward with ovon gioatei ctuMon than before. I had ari vanned onh a few pace", when on pu-hing aside a neieuf of leives thicker than u^uai, and < hr.i-\m_. my head iuto a bush, I met a H_rbt that made n:y hoart jump ; there wil^m mx !u nf me, crouche i the leopard, ni- eyeballylov\ing like b ill* of gre <n tire in the d.a - k ]U"<i!e, > WA of iho mo-!, michief on hi= face, rind ovidenr'y jii't on r he jioitit of -priugint.' at me. M\ tir^t impulse wa* to <hro»v my nllo r o m\ «houldor and fire at once ; but more quickly th..n a fl it-h of li'jhtnir.^ cutne Mie cuiimc tion, liko a living voice ?peikmg to uu\ '* If y >u do, and if you don't kill him duid ,ie i' kill you.'' My nerve* ru grov sr < idy at once, and I checked my tir-f ia-ih impulse Then, keeping my twe t\<rd on his, I raided my rifle slowls and deliberately, took a steady aim, and fired. A dull groan and a de-porate con vul^'on followed, and then in a half minute all was still My f'tithful ?opo\ had duly oboyed my insti notions ; he hid taken my rifle and had givon ui<the spear, and with this spear held at the charge ready to receive tho leopjird if he came my way, -ye waited until the con vul-inn subsided. Tnen peering in again we found that the leopaid had gono back ; and it was not until we had advance' ■*ome ton yards that we came upon him lying dead. It shows the marvellous virility of the feline race ; for though the ball wa' a heavy one, and h\d cra-hee. right through the brain, yet ho had managed to go fully eight yards from whore he was crouching. Had the bil' been turned aside at all by a twit;, or had it glanced off his skull, he would almo*l certainly have mide his spring, and in a I juncle so denpe I could hardly have hopeo to keep him off or defend myself | I called up Caatleton at onco, and we soon pulled the leopard out of the thicket i We found Castleton's bullet had hit him in the side, but far back, so as n t to mt r '• fere in any way with his power* of attack. I congratulated myself on a lucky escape The villagers were dolighted at the death oi I a robber which had more than once laid their backs under contribution, and pressed their services on us to carry him home. A procession was soon formed, and we re turned to Julbarri in triumph with tho leopard swung on a pole in front of us. - "Chambers's Journal."