File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17974583519).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo14amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
308 THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL than tear my shirt. Her body was twisted in an effort to get hold of the ground to turn herself but the loose sand offered her no hold. For a moment there was no change in our positions and for the first time I hoped for a chance. Up to then it had been simpl^^ a good fight in which I expected to lose, but if I could keep my advantage perhaps the syce would come with a knife. I called but to no effect. I still held and surged down with my knees; one hand down her throat as far as I could thrust it and the other gripping her throat, was certainly a strangle hold. I felt her relax, a sort of letting go although she was still strug- gling. At the same time I felt myself
Text Appearing After Image:
Some of the Somali wells are eighty feet deep and require at least eight natives supported one above the other on steps along the walls of the well, to pass the water in wooden buckets (chatties) to those waiting at the top weakening similarly, and then it became a question as to which would give up first. After what seemed an interminable passage of time, I let go and tried to stand, calling to the syce that I was finished. He now screwed up his cour- age sufficiently to approach. Then the leopard began to gasp and I saw that she might recover, so I asked the syce for the knife. He had thrown it away in his fear, but quickly found it and I at last made certain that the beast was dead. I tried to shoulder the leopard to carry it to camp but was finally satisfied to get myself to camp. AVhen I came inside the zcrrha, my companions were at dinner before one of the tents. They had heard the shots and had speculated on the probabilities. They had decided that I was in a mix-up with a lion or with natives, but that I would have the enemy or the enemy would have me before they could get to me, so they had continued their dinner. The fatalistic spirit of the country had pre\ailed. When I came within their range of vision howe^'er, my appearance was quite sufficient to arrest attention and moreover my demands for all the antiseptics in camp gave them some- thing to do. While my companions were getting the surgical appliances ready, my boys were stripping me and dousing me with cold water, and at that time I re- gretted that the leopard had not been victorious. Later in the evening they brought the leopard in and laid it beside my cot. The first shot as she went behind the bush had broken the toes of the right hind foot. The only other bullet that struck her A\'as the last before she charged and that had creased her just under the skin on the back of the neck, from the shock of which she had instantly recovered.

Note About Images