ly sheltered from the dew. It had been
a busy day. I had been going over accounts, and talking to the
villagers till I was really hoarse. After a light dinner I lay down on
my bed, but it was too close and hot to sleep. By and bye the various
sounds died out. The tom-toming ceased in the village. My servants
suspended their low muttered gossip round the cook's fire, wrapped
themselves in their white cloths, and dropped into slumber. 'Toby,'
'Nettle,' 'Whisky,' 'Pincher,' and my other terriers, resembled so
many curled-up hairy balls, and were in the land of dreams.
Occasionally an owl would give a melancholy hoot from the forest, or a
screech owl would raise a momentary and damnable din. At intervals,
the tinkle of a cow-bell sounded faintly in the distance. I tossed
restlessly, thinking of various things, till I must have dropped off
into an uneasy fitful sleep. I know not how long I had been dozing,
but of a sudden I felt myself wide awake, though with my eyes yet
firmly closed.

I was conscious of some terrible unknown impending danger. I had
experienced the same feeling before on waking from a nightmare, but I
knew that the danger now was real. I felt a shrinking horror, a
terrible and nameless fear, and for the life of me I could not move
hand or foot. I was lying on my side, and could distinctly hear the
thumping of my heart. A cold sweat broke out behind my ears and over
my neck and chest. I could analyse my every feeling, and I knew there
was some PRESENCE in the tent, and that I was in instant and imminent
peril. Suddenly in the distance a pariah dog gave a prolonged
melancholy howl. As if this had broken the spell which had hitherto
bound me, I opened my eyes, and within ten inches of my face, there
was a handsome leopardess gazing steadily at me. Our eyes met, and how
long we confronted each other I know not. It must have been some
minutes. Her eyes contracted and expanded, the pupil elongated and
then opened out into a round lustrous globe. I could see the lithe
tail oscillating at its extreme tip, with a gentle waving motion, like
that of a cat when hunting birds in the garden. I seemed to possess no
will. I believe I was under a species of fascination, but we continued
our steady stare at each other.

Just then, there was a movement by some of the horses. The leopard
slowly turned her head, and I grasped the revolver which lay under my
pillow. The beautiful spotted monster turned her head for an instant,