“I know that there are leopards in the country, but we have never yet fallen in with one. Are they dangerous?”
“The leopard shuns any conflict with man, but when driven to desperation it becomes a formidable antagonist. I recollect very well two boors having attacked a leopard, and the animal, being hotly pressed by them and wounded, turned round and sprang upon the one nearest, pulling him to the ground, biting his shoulder, and tearing him with his claws. The other, seeing the danger of his comrade, sprang from his horse and attempted to shoot the animal through the head. He missed, and the leopard left the first man, sprang upon him, and, striking him on the face, tore his scalp down over his eyes. The hunter grappled with the animal, and at last they rolled together down a steep cliff. As soon as the first hunter could reload his gun, he rushed after them to save his friend, but it was too late. The animal had seized him by the throat, and mangled him so dreadfully, that death was inevitable, and all that the man could do was to avenge his comrade’s death by shooting the leopard.”
“That proves the leopard is not to be trifled with.”
“No animal is, when it stands at bay, or is driven to desperation; and, in confirmation of this, I once witnessed one of these animals—the quaggas—which, being pressed to the edge of a precipice by a mounted hunter, seized the man’s foot with its teeth, and actually tore it off; so that, although medical aid was at hand, the man died from loss of blood.”
“One would hardly expect such a tragical issue to the chase of a wild jackass,” observed the Major.
“No; but ‘in the midst of life we are in death,’ and we never know from whence the blow may come. Until it occurred, such an event was supposed impossible, and the very idea would have created nothing but ridicule. By the bye, one of our good missionaries was very near losing his life by a leopard. He went to save a Hottentot who had been seized, and was attacked by the leopard, which, as in the former instance, left his first antagonist to meet his second. Fortunately, Mr S was a very powerful man, and assistance was sooner given him than in the former instance. Neither he nor the Hottentot, however, escaped without severe wounds, which confined them for many weeks.”
“Is there more than one variety of leopard, Swinton?”
“Yes; there is the common leopard and the hunting leopard; besides, I think, two or three smaller varieties, as the tiger-cat and wild cat. What do you propose doing to-day? Do you stay here, or advance, Wilmot?”
“Why, the Major wishes to have a shot at the gnoos; he has never killed one yet; and as I am of his opinion, that a day’s rest will recover the oxen, and we are in no hurry, I think we may as well stop and provision our camp for a few days.”
“With all my heart. I am sorry that the hyena has added to our store, by obliging us to kill the poor ox; however, it cannot be helped. There is a large body of gnoos and quaggas under that small hill to the westward; but there are better animals for the table when we get a little further to the northward.”