of the other. We will climb out as far as we can, and then he will
have to follow us very slowly, whichever way he chooses. If he goes
for you, I will follow him. If he comes my way, you follow him.
When the bough gets thin he won't be able to turn round, and the
one behind can give him a sudden stab, which will make him leave go
his hold."

By the time he had finished speaking, they were each far out on
their respective branches, and the leopard was close to the fork.
It paused a moment, looked at the two men and, after a moment's
hesitation, began to crawl out towards Abdool. Harry at once made
his way back to the trunk, and then followed the animal.

Abdool had gone out as far as he dared and, holding on tightly,
swayed the end of the branch up and down. The leopard, as it
approached him, was evidently disconcerted; and clung to the bough,
which was scarcely six inches in diameter at the point it had
reached. It snarled angrily, as it became conscious that it was
being followed.

Harry, feeling convinced that it could not turn, came fearlessly up
to it, and then struck his knife into its loin. As the blade was
but some four inches long, he had no hope of striking a vital
point.

The leopard uttered a roar, and tried to turn and strike at him
with one of its forepaws; but the blade again penetrated to its
full depth, this time on the other side and, with a start, it lost
its footing, clung for a moment to the branch with its forepaws,
and strove to regain its hold; but Harry brought his knife down,
again and again, on one of its paws.

Abdool, crawling in, quickly struck it under the shoulder and, a
moment later, it released its hold and fell heavily through the
foliage to the ground. For a time it was heard roaring, and then
the sound came only at intervals, and at an increasing distance.

"That was a good business, Abdool," Harry said, as they returned to
their former post, where the Malay rejoined them.

"It was well done, indeed, sahib. When I heard the beast climbing
the tree, it seemed to me that, as we had no weapons except these
little knives, he would surely make an end of one of us."

The interpreter did not understand Mahratti, in which Abdool and
Harry always conversed; but he said in Hindustani:

"I have seen fights with leopards, my lord, but even with krises,
two of my people would hesitate to attack one--they fear them more
than tigers--but little did I think that two men, with small
kniv