73 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE,

The Chetah Lhe practice of employing animals to huni

a8 a animals is of very early origin, and the docility
Huntsman. of the Chetah early marked him out as a suitable
ally in the chase. Chetahs are so gentle that they can be
led about in a leash like greyhounds. The following descrip-
tion of a hunt is from “The Naturalist’s Library”. “Just
before we reached our ground, the shuter suwars (camel
courier), who always moved on our flanks in search of game,
reported a herd of antelopes, about a mile out of the line of
march, and the Chetahs being at hand, we went in pursuit
of them. The leopards are each accommodated with a flat-
topped cart, without sides, drawn by two bullocks, and each
animal has two attendants. They are loosely bound by a
collar and rope to the back of the vehicle, and are also held
by the keeper by a strap round the loins. A leathermn hood
covers the eyes. On entering from a cotton field, we came
in sight of four antelopes, and my driver managed to get
within a hundred yards of them before they took alarm.
The Chetah was quickly wnhooded and loosed from his
bonds; and, as soon as he viewed the deer, he dropped
quietly off the cart on the opposite side to that on which they
stood, and approached them at a slow crouching canter,
masking himself by every bush, and inequality, which lay in
his way. As soon, however, as the deer began to show alarm,
he quickened his pace and was in the midst of them in a
few bounds. He singled out a doe, and ran it close for
about 200 yards, when he reached it with a blow of his
paw, rolled it over, and in an instant was sucking the life
blood from its throat.” “As soon as the deer is pulled,”
says the same account, “a keeper runs up, hoods the Chetah,
cuts the victim’s throat, and securing some of the blood in
a wooden ladle, thrusts it under the leopard’s nose. The
antelope is then dragged away and placed in a receptacle
under the hatchery, while the Chetah is rewarded with a leg
for his pains.”