ten down, as though a desperate
struggle had taken place; the ground was smeared and splashed with
blood; and in the midst of it lay one of Ama's spears, and the broken
shaft of the other. And, leading away from this, there was a broad,
blood-stained trail, as though a body had been dragged along through the
grass and over some rocky ground, further on, toward another and much
bigger outcrop of rock. It was not difficult to read the signs: Ama,
intent upon her hunting, had been surprised and overpowered by some
ferocious beast; and now all that remained was for me to follow and
rescue the unfortunate girl, or avenge her death. I accordingly fitted
to my bow the stoutest arrow in my quiver, and dashed forward in a fury
of rage and grief, absolutely reckless of consequences to myself, and
animated by but one impulse--the determination to slay the beast,
whatever it might be, that had wrought this evil to my faithful and
gentle companion.

For a hundred yards or more the trail led over uneven rocky ground
toward an immense rock, upon rounding which I found myself face to face
with, and within half-a-dozen yards of, a splendid full-grown male
leopard who was crouching over poor Ama's motionless body, snarling
savagely as he strove with his claws to remove a broken spear, the head
of which was buried deep in his neck. As I rounded the rock and came in
sight of him he rose to his feet, with his two front paws on Ama's body,
and bared his great fangs at me in a hideous grin, as he gave utterance
to a snarling growl that might well have struck terror to the boldest.
But my heart was so full of rage and grief at the dreadful sight before
me that there was no room in it for any other emotion, and, halting
short in my tracks, I gazed the brute steadfastly in the eye, as I
slowly raised my bow and drew the arrow to its head. Never in my life
had I felt more deadly cool and self-possessed than I did then as I
aimed steadily at the animal's right eye; I felt that I _could not_
miss; nor did I; for while we thus stood motionlessly staring at each
other, I released the string, and the next instant the great lithe beast
sprang convulsively into the air, with the butt of my arrow protruding
from his eye and the point buried deep in his brain. As he fell back,
and struggled writhing upon the ground, moaning horribly for a few
seconds ere his great limbs straightened out in death, I dashed forward,
and, seizing poor Ama's body, drew