ine in its
habits. Its general colour is a bright yellowish-brown, lighter on the
sides, and nearly white beneath, marked with numerous small black spots
all over, which are continued along the tail so as to appear like rings;
its ears are short and rounded, while from each eye a blackish mark runs
down to the corners of the mouth, the extremity of the nose being black.
The fur, instead of possessing that sleekness which distinguishes the
feline race, is peculiarly crisp.

As the party neared the spot where it was expected that the deer would
be found, the cheetah was taken out of its cage and led forward by a
keeper with a chain, just as a large dog would be led--its head, of
course, being covered. When led without any such protection, it is very
difficult to manage. Should it scent a trail upon the ground, it begins
to throw its head aloft and peer about. To restore its tranquillity,
the keeper places a cocoanut shell sprinkled on the inside with salt to
the animal's nose. The cheetah licks the salt, and losing the scent
forgets the object which attracted its attention. As soon as it again
exhibits signs of excitement, the cocoanut shell is applied to its nose,
and it again becomes manageable.

At length several deer appeared at a short distance, on some marshy
ground, with bushes intervening. The khan gave a signal to the keeper,
who slipped the leash, and the cheetah began to steal cautiously towards
the herd, taking advantage of the bushes and high grass to conceal
itself. On it went like a cat, till it got within a short distance of
the deer. They at length discovered its approach, and went bounding
forward over everything that impeded their progress, jumping, running,
and wading through the marsh with frantic energy. The cheetah's blood
was up. It singled out one of the animals, and away it went, bounding
catlike over the bushes; plunging into the morass, though hating water,
rather than allow its prey to escape. Off started the hunting party,
now keeping their eyes on the flying deer, now upon the persevering
cheetah. It was no easy task, however, to keep the chase in sight, as
they scampered over the marsh and thick grass. Indeed, they put the
horsemanship of all the party to the test. While the rest of the deer
escaped on either side, the one the cheetah had fixed on had kept a
straight course, now by the side of a nullah, now over the wiry grass,
now through thick bushes. The cheetah meanwhil