THE NATURALIST.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 96

THE NATURALIST.

In a Closed Room with a Leopard.

A young pioneer farmer, writing home some little time since from Nyere (British East Africa), says: "About ?, week ago we had a great fight with a leopard. . On the King's birthday at dusk, about 6 p.m., I wialked over to see M'D., my nearest neighbour,. about half a mile from my place. I found «tiotlw>r neighbour there, a Mr S. We had dinner, and afterwards sat talking round the nr« till about 10 o'clock. S. then left, and shortly thereafter i thought of moving, too. Meantime my little diog was prowling around outside and began barking at something. A leopard had been paying attention to Swanson'3 pigs for a few nights before, and I suggsstzd that the l«ast was at hand again. "While We Were discussing this point, in rushed' the dog (the door being wide open as usual), and a monster leopard at his tail. I never saw a bigger one. It came with suoh a bang that it ■WSaa pearly against 'us before it could Suli lip. We started 6houting for fear it wouid collar ihe dfyj, bu* it was too surprised at the sight of us and at the light Jrom the lamp, eto., to meddle with the so@. The leopard then turned towards th» foamy, hut missed it and got behind The door. Anxious to get out it veaarej xiaejl Against the wall and pawed pgund to the side of the room. W$ had fib weapons handy, but we still Jcept sHoawng at ft, thinking it good fun to scare the beast, and that it would soon gain the doorway. "As it moved about, however, it came n-jainfct th<> door and shut it. Then the

tune was changed. We saw we were in a tight place and looked round for something' to defend ourselves with. There was nothing, however, and to move was only to draw the attention of the beast to us. In the meantime it was getting mad at being trapped, and kept jumping all over the place like a streak of lightning, dishes, boxes, cupboards, pots and pans flying about, and the little dog worrying it all the time. We now had our chairs up as shields. I was nearest to the door, and began to move slowly thereto whenever the leopard’s back was turned to me. To noticed what I was after, however, and was on me like a shot, with a roar or growl, paws out, and mouth wide open. I guarded with the chair, but it knocked that out of my hands, and getting one paw home on my soalp clawed it and ripped it dice a piece of cloth. I kept my feet., however, though it must have knocked me violently against the wall, for my shoulders were sore for weeks after. I hammered on the beast’s head with my fists, but don't suppose with much effect, though it probably prevented' it from using teeth or claws on my legs or body, as it kept snapping at and trying to catch my hands as I hit it, while all the time the dog was tearing at its ears. Then the dog must have gripped one of the leopard’s bind logs, which made the leopard turn from me. “Although by this time almost blinded by blood, I took! the chance and Lunged towards the door and threw it open. Turning, I saw the brute making for Mr D.. at which I made to go round to the other side of the table to drive it from him. When about half-way I heard the door close again. I had banged it open with too much force, and it had rebounded back to its old place. I had to try again, and well for me the brute’s attention was turned to Mr D., because I had no chair then, and it would have done for me completely. I succeeded, and the next I saw was Mr D. on the bed and the leopard gathering itself for a spring upon. him. But Mr D. was in time to lift a blanket over himself and so foil the charge. I stood holding the door open with one .hand, with the other diverting the blood from my eyes. The leopard now lepiped back to the floor; it seemed to be getting tired, because it stood still by the wall for a little, not far from the door. If I had got hold of a spear then I could Rave settled the beast. But the dog kept pestering it. Turning a little towards the dog it felt the cold air blowing in. Turning further it saw outside and trotted out. I bad not even the chance of giving it a parting kick aa it brushed past ms, because the dog was hanging on to its hindquarters. After getting out it must have turned on the dog, at any rate the latter came back in a devil of a hurry. “We had an exciting time while it lasted'. After our unwelcome guest made off I lay down on bed, and my arms went as stiff as pokers. Mr D., too, got off better than I did; he had only a few deepish scratches on his arms. When first attacked be managed to get between a ladder and the wall. While the beast wfeis devoting its attention to me, ho had been feeling in the fire for a brand, but could get nothing large enough. He thereby burned his fingers badly,'of which he was unaware until tne danger was past, when, the pain made him think the leopard must have chewed them, but on examination of his hands be remembered the cause of their damage. In the morning I was taken in a stretcher to Otjeri hospital, and have been there ever since; but I am getting .along nicely, the wounds cleaning well. 1 have never had the courage to look in the glass at them, so do not know what they are like, but* my skull is exposed in a few places, and I can hear the surgeon’s instruments on the bon© twice a day at_ dressing time. In about a fortnight ho is going to let the wounds heal. Everyone has been verykind to me. They were all going to send me food, etc., but the district commissioner and his wife said the privileges belonged to them, so I am getting all sorts of delicacies.” A Smart Weasel. A sawmill in one of our Western States was so full of rats that the men who worked there were seriously disturbed by them. _ .. .. They tried various means to rid themselves of their tormentors, but nothing availed, until suddenly a long, slim weasel appeared on the scene, and began to make great havoc among the army of rats. At last they seemed to_ be all gone excepting one big fellow, which_ was almost as large as , the weasel _ himself and apparently quite his match in cunning. The two met in open combat several times. The men watched them closely, and wondered if Mr Rat were _ really clever and strong enough to hold hie own against his wily enemy. One day they observed that the weasel was busily digging in a pile of lumber. He worked for a long time, but finally reappeared and began looking for his usual prey. After smelling and feeling here, there, and everywhere, he at last came upon the rat. They engaged in a lively battle, which the men watched with interest. After a while the weasel, as generally happened, seemed to be worsted, and started for the lumber pile, where he bad been so long at work. Close behind him followed the victorious rat. evidently bent on making a complete finish of his adversary. Both of them disappeared in the lumber pile. Then suddenly the weasel came running from the back of the pile, and, with an air as though desperate _ business were on hand, dashed again into the hole. Then there was a long period of quiet. Finally the weasel came running out _ in a leisurely and contented manner, seeming to be in excellent condition after the long engagement. The men were curious to know what had been going on. They accordingly, at considerable expense of time and patience, investigated the hole, and discovered the following extraordinary facts, which are vouched for by the Minneapolis Journal: The weasel had dug a. sort of tunnel well under the lumber pile. This tunnel was large enough at its mouth to easily admit the rat. Then the astute weasel had made it gradually smaller and smaller, until as it approached the further aperture it was so small that the thin body of the weasel ’himself could hardly have squeezed through it. Having decoyed the rat into this ingenious trap, the weasel slipped out ahead of him. Than he hurried around to the

large end of the tunnel, attacked the rat in the rear, and soon finished him. It. really looks as though something considerably deeper and keener than instinct were at work here. That weasel would possibly have made a very clever member of society if he could only have been trained and educated. Mobbed by fish. Probably no man living knows more of the fishing, both sea and river, obtainable in Morocco than Mr C. A. Pa.yton. He gives a. thrilling description of the grand sport afforded by the tasargelt—a kind of fishing battue. “When the shoals are feeding on the surface, and a dozen or score of native boats got among them, it is the wildest scone possible, the very opposite of the “contemplative man’s recreation” or “gentle craft,” for the brown rowers pull as hard and as quick as possible, makingall the splash they can, to attract the fish, which come dashing madly after the boat, while the rodmen in tho stern literally flail for them with stout eight or nine foot stumps of bamboo rods, nearly the same length of double brass wire, and huge square-bent barbless hooks, the bait being first a bit of white rag, then the regular aghulim. a five or six-inch strip of the glistening blueish-white belly-skin of the first victim, drawn swiftly through the foaming water. Fish after fish are heaved into the boat by strong-armed Moors and negroes, and quickly jerked off the barbless hooks, while the men shout and yell and sing weird, rhythmic chants of barbaric music, the whole scene, on a bright blue sea, beneath a brighter sky. forming a wild fishing carnival, in which I have taken part many a time; wilder still when a few huge albioore, or other monsters too mighty for even such powerful tackle, are among our finny foes, and after a short engagement we see broken bamboos floating on the blue waters like shattered spears on a, medieeval battlefield.”