The other hunter, seeing the danger of his
comrade, (he was, if I mistake not, his brother,) sprung from his horse,
and attempted to shoot the leopard through the head; but, whether owing
to trepidation, or the fear of wounding his friend, or the sudden
motions of the animal, he unfortunately missed.
The leopard, abandoning his prostrate enemy, darted with redoubled fury
upon this second antagonist; and so fierce and sudden was his onset,
that before the boor could stab him with his hunting-knife, he had
struck him in the eyes with his claws, and torn the scalp over his
forehead. In this frightful condition the hunter grappled with the
raging beast, and struggling for life, they rolled together down a steep
declivity. All this passed so rapidly, that the other boor had scarcely
time to recover from the confusion in which his feline foe had left him,
to seize his gun, and rush forward to aid his comrade, when he beheld
them rolling together down the steep bank in mortal conflict. In a few
moments he was at the bottom with them, but too late to save the life of
his friend. The leopard had torn open the jugular vein, and so
dreadfully mangled the throat of the unfortunate man, that his death was
inevitable; and his comrade had only the melancholy satisfaction of
completing the destruction of the savage beast, already exhausted with
several deep wounds in the breast from the desperate knife of the
expiring huntsman.--_London Weekly Review_.
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