Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/401545
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 4 6 the last animal of three that she had owned and now she would be thrown upon the mercy of relatives to support her, since the tiger had now killed her last surviving animal. The structure where the cow had been killed was a corral made of sturdy planks buried upright in the ground as a wall. On top of this was a bamboo frame covered with grass, which served as a roof. I examined the dead cow and the surroundings and quickly determined that the killer was a leopard rather than a tiger. The woman begged me to rid them of the killer and stressed that it made little difference to her if the cow had died on the fangs of a leopard or a tiger. Knowing the desperate situation that existed at Sandrekia, I agreed to do what I could to shoot the beast. U rging the villagers to return to their homes down the hill, Budiya and I dragged the cow outside of the enclosure; we then decided that in the absence of a suitable tree, we would start our vigil on the fragile roof of the cow pen. This gave us little security, since it was only about five feet high, but it was the best we could arrange. We placed a blind of straw in front of us to partially shield our movements and give me a chance to get my rifle in shooting position should the leopard return. It soon turned cold as the sun went down, and we pulled our jacket collars up to protect us from the breeze that now blew with considerable force down the hillside. All was quiet and we heard no sounds for the first two hours after sundown. Quite suddenly our tranquility was shattered by a violent push from underneath the bamboo roofing upon which we were seated. The unexpected jolt was a surprise we hadn't expected and since we had heard or seen nothing, we moved our position a bit to see if we could peer into the cow pen to see what had happened, somehow knocking loose a board that fell from the roof into the interior of the pen. A blood-curdling roar, followed by a deep snarl immediately below us, brought instant realization that the leopard had managed to sneak into the enclosure without alerting us and had tried, unsuccessfully, to reach us through the roof. It was a most unpleasant situation to be in, but it was quickly brought to resolution when the leopard made a bound over the outer wall of the corral and disappeared. Budiya and I decided that our vantage point wasn't the safest place to sit in the dark since the leopard now knew our position and might make a more successful stalk the next time if he should try again. We took our headlamp and, walking very cautiously through the darkness, proceeded to a small hut nearby, thinking that perhaps it would offer more security for us than the first. Reaching the hut, we went inside and Budiuya lit a small fire. We found, to our dismay, that the door to the hut could not be properly closed and that only a fragile stick was propped against it to keep it from swinging open. Budiya, who had been quite shaken by our recent visitor, commented that in view of the animal's aggressive behavior, he fully believed it was the man-killer, and that the leopard we had shot a few days earlier with the porcupine quills in its foot had not been the man-eater after all. I was inclined to agree since our recent visitor was abnormally unafraid of people and seemed determined to add a new victim to its list. While discussing this possibility, we heard a soft movement against the door. It sounded almost like someone knocking to request permission to enter. For a moment we thought perhaps some hillmen, having seen us, were seeking shelter for the night. I flashed on my headlamp and directed the beam toward the door. It suddenly became obvious that something was trying to enter and that the tapping was caused by the door being pushed inward against the small stick we had propped against it. We both came to the chilling realization that our visitor was the leopard trying again to reach us! Being unsuccessful in opening the door, the leopard moved around the hut, examining it for other means of entry. We listened carefully, and I motioned Budiya to pick up a large boulder in the corner of the hut, which had been used for a fireplace, and place it securely against the door. Budiya and I sat in complete silence, attempting to interpret sounds from outside as to what the leopard was doing. Our reverie came to a quick end as we heard the leopard jump onto the roof of the hut. Quickly this was followed by dust showering down on us accompanied by scratching and tearing sounds as the leopard attempted to make a hole through which he could enter the hut. There was now no longer any question that this was the man-eater! The leopard, as if contemplating his next move, paused for a moment, and I took this opportunity to switch on the light, thinking that his attack had progressed to the point that the light would in no way deter the leopard from his intended purpose of killing us. Through the roof I could see the extended paw of the killer as he tried to enlarge the hole in the thatch. Budiya gave a yell and the leopard, momentarily startled, withdrew his paw and stuck his head through the opening to survey the situation and, perhaps look over his intended meal. The leopard was only a few feet above my head, and I could