nce ahead; they made for it, and got
under cover, they hoped, without having been seen. The animals moved
slowly along, feeding as they came. When within a hundred yards of the
bush, they turned aside, to the bitter disappointment of the young
hunters.

"We must be after them," said Denis; "and if we can still find cover, we
may get near enough to have a shot. Come, let us put our best feet
forward. Stoop down as low as you can. Heel, Raff, heel!" he whispered
to his dog, who was too well-trained to disobey him, and kept close
behind him.

The pallahs kept moving on, sometimes slowly, at other times much
faster. Percy felt but little able to follow, though he did his best.
On and on they went. Before them they saw a grove of tall trees,
towards which the pallahs were directing their course.

"The chances are there's water not far off, and if the animals go down
to drink we shall have a good chance of shooting one," whispered Denis.

The pallahs reached the wood, but stopped to graze outside it. This
enabled Denis and Percy to creep up towards it, at a part some distance
from where they were feeding. They thus hoped, by making their way
through the wood, to be able to get near enough to the animals to obtain
a good shot. They had cautiously crept on for some way when Percy
stopped, and seizing his companion's arm, pointed up to the branch of a
tree under which they were about to pass. There, extended at its full
length, ready for a spring, lay an enormous leopard. Its eyes were
turned away from them, watching the pallahs. They stepped cautiously
back, having no doubt that had they attempted to pass under the bough,
the leopard would have been down upon them, and probably killed both, as
they were close together. They retreated behind a tree, where they
stood watching for what would next occur. Denis well knew that should
they wound the leopard, and not kill it, it would become a terrible foe.

The pallahs, unsuspicious of danger, at last moved towards the tree,
several entering the wood almost together. One approached the fatal
bough. Like a flash of lightning, the leopard sprang upon the
unfortunate creature, and in an instant it lay dead, struck down by its
powerful claws.

"Now is our time," whispered Denis: "let us fire together; I'll aim at
the leopard's head; do you fire at its shoulder, and then, without
stopping to see if we have killed it, we'll retreat behind the tree and
reload."

The