disappeared over the bank.  The ground being very dangerous, I did not disturb him by following then, but I at once sent Ruyter back to camp for the dogs.  Presently he returned with Wolf and Boxer, very much done up with the sun.  I rode forward, and, on looking over the bank, the leopard started up and sneaked off alongside of the tall reeds, and was instantly out of sight.  I fired a random shot from the saddle to encourage the dogs, and shouted to them; they, however, stood looking stupidly around, and would not take up his scent at all.  I led them over his spoor, again and again, but to no purpose; the dogs seemed quite stupid, and yet they were Wolf and Boxer, my two best.

At length I gave it up as a lost affair, and was riding down the river’s bank, when I heard Wolf give tongue behind me, and, galloping back, found him at bay with the leopard, immediately beneath where I had fired at him; he was very severely wounded, and had slipped down into the river’s bed and doubled back, whereby he had thrown out both the dogs and myself.  As I approached, he flew out upon Wolf and knocked him over, and then, running up the bed of the river, took shelter in a thick bush:  Wolf, however, followed him, and at this moment my other dogs came up, having heard the shot, and bayed him fiercely.  He sprang out upon them, and then crossed the river’s bed, taking shelter beneath some large tangled roots on the opposite bank.  As he crossed the river, I put a third bullet into him, firing from the saddle, and, as soon as he came to bay, I gave him a fourth, which finished him.  This leopard was a very fine old male; in the conflict, the unfortunate Alert was wounded, as usual, getting his face torn open; he was still going upon three legs, with all his breast laid bare by the first water-buck.

In the evening I directed my Hottentots to watch a fine pool in the river, and do their best, while I rode to a distant pool several miles up the Ngotwani, reported as very good for game, to lie all night and watch:  my Totties, however, fearing “Tao,” disobeyed me.  On reaching the water I was bound for, I found it very promising, and, having fastened my two horses to a tree beneath the river’s bank, I prepared a place of concealment close by, and laid down for the night.

The river’s banks on each side were clad with groves of shady thorn trees.  After I had lain some time, squadrons of buffaloes were heard coming on, until the shady grove on the east bank of the water immediately above me was alive with them.  After some time the leaders ventured down the river’s bank to drink, and this was the signal for a general rush into the large pool of water:  they came on like a regiment of cavalry at a gallop, making a mighty din, and obscuring the air with a dense cloud of dust.  At length I sent a ball into one of them, when the most tremendous rush followed up the bank, where they all stood still, listening attentively.  I knew that the buffalo was severely wounded, but did not