"The leopard was slowly crawling near."
"Yes," they all shouted, "let us kill all the leopards in the country."
Then all the people danced around the leopard, singing at the same time: "You wicked leopard, your days are over, you will not make any one now fear you. The antelopes and gazelles of the forest would be glad if they knew that you have been killed by the great Oguizi."
The dance lasted until daylight, when we skinned the beast. "Let us make a belt of his skin for Chief Rotembo," I said; and we accordingly did so. The tail I gave to Rogala. We divided the liver into several parts.
Later in the day Rogala, Shinshooko, and I went into the forest with Andekko in search of the lair of the leopard, which was a female, hoping to take the young ones. But we were not successful, and were obliged finally to return without accomplishing our object.
"When night comes," I said to my hunters, "I will lie in wait for the male leopard; perhaps he will come here in search of his mate."
To this the man replied: "Yes, a male leopard is more likely to come and seek for his mate than a female is."
That night as I was watching I suddenly saw a dark spot moving not far from where I stood. Suddenly I saw the eyes of a leopard looking like burning coals. He had come to look for his mate. But he had not advanced far towards the houses when I fired and killed him.
Andekko, who had been fastened inside Rogala's house, was let loose and came bounding towards us. He had heard the sound of the gun, and knew that something was up. At the sight of the dead leopard his hair stood straight up, and then before we knew it he was on the body of the beast with his teeth fastened in its throat.