Wild Beasts and Their Ways by Sir Samuel White Baker (adult books to read txt) 📕

to the top, and sat with its master, who had released it from the hood. After an advance of about 200 yards, the wheels making no noise upon the level surface, we espied the herd of about twenty antelopes, and the cart at once halted until they had slowly moved from view. Again the cart moved forward for 70 or 80 paces, and two bucks were seen trotting away to the left, as they had caught a glimpse of the approaching cart. In an instant the cheetah was loosed; for a moment it hesitated, and then bounded forward, although the two bucks had disappeared. We now observed that the cheetah not only slackened its pace, but it crept cautiously forward, as though looking for the lost game.

We followed quietly upon horseback, and in a few seconds we saw the two bucks about 120 yards distant, standing with their attention fixed upon us. At the same instant the cheetah dashed forward with an extraordinary rush; the two bucks, at the sight of their dreaded enemy, bounded away at their usual speed, with the cheetah following, until all animals were lost to view among the scattered bushes.

We galloped forward in the direction they had taken, and in less than 300 yards we arrived at the spot where the cheetah had pinned the buck; this was lying upon its back without a struggle, while the firm jaws of the pursuer gripped its throat.

The cheetah did not attempt to shake or tear the prey, but simply retained its hold, thus strangling the victim, which had ceased all resistance.

The keeper now arranged the hood upon the cheetah's head, thus masking the eyes, which were gleaming with wild excitement, but it in no way relaxed its grip. Taking a strong cord, the keeper now passed it several times around the neck of the buck, while it was still held in the jaws of the cheetah, and drawing the cord tight, he carefully cut the throat close to the teeth of the tenacious animal. As the blood spurted from the wound, it was caught in a large but shallow wooden bowl or ladle, furnished with a handle. When this was nearly full, the mask was taken off the cheetah, and upon seeing the spoon full of blood it relaxed its grasp and immediately began to lap the blood from its well-known ladle. When the meal was finished, the mask or hood was replaced, and the cheetah was once more confined within its cage, as it would not run again during that day.

The wooden ladle is, to the cheetah, an attraction corresponding to the "lure" of a falcon; the latter is an arrangement of feathers to imitate a bird. The ladle is known by the cheetah to be always connected with blood, which it receives as a reward after a successful hunt; therefore, when loose, and perhaps disobedient to a call, it will generally be recovered by exhibiting the much-loved spoon, to which it returns, like a horse to a sieve of oats.

We now uncarted a fresh cheetah, and were not kept long waiting before we came upon a lot of antelopes, most of which were females and young bucks. At length, after careful stalking by driving the bullock-cart in an opposite direction to the herd, and then slightly turning to the left, in the endeavour to decrease our distance, we saw a fine buck standing alone within 100 yards, as we had not been observed while advancing through the scattered bush.

The cheetah lost not a moment, but springing lightly to the ground, it was at full speed, and within 50 yards before the unwary buck perceived it. Taken by surprise, instead of bounding off in mad retreat, this gallant little buck lowered its sharp-pointed horns and stood on the defence against the onset of its fierce antagonist. This was a pretty but a pitiable sight, as I knew that the odds were terribly against the buck; but in another instant the actual encounter took place, and I was surprised to see how well the plucky buck conducted the defence. It actually charged the advancing cheetah, and stopped its rush. The cheetah held back, and again the buck rushed in; but as we advanced, the poor little beast was evidently frightened at the people, and it turned to run. The moment that the cheetah saw its opportunity, it sprang forward; we saw the blow of the paw, delivered as quick as lightning upon the right haunch, and the gallant little buck was on its back, with its throat hopelessly throttled in the cheetah's jaws.

We were sorry for this termination, as I should like to have witnessed the result, had we not disturbed the fight by our presence. The keepers did not regard the affair in the same light, as they declared the cheetah might have been injured severely by the horns, but that eventually it would have killed the black-buck.

In a couple of days we had killed a number of these beautiful animals, but I became tired of the sport, as the affair was invariably over in a couple of minutes. One thing was certain, the cheetahs were first-rate, and there was none of the skulking and slinking back, which I had read of as characteristic of the hunting leopard.

This style of hunting must naturally depend upon the condition of the ground. We had hunted the localities that were in favour of the cheetah, when scattered bush admitted of a tolerably close approach; but after a couple of days we had scared the black-buck to such a degree that they entirely forsook the sparse covert, and took to the bare open plain, where it was simply impossible to approach them unobserved. This intensified the pleasure, as hitherto the cheetahs had triumphed in almost every hunt.

I accordingly suggested that we should confine our party to three mounted persons and three carts, with of course the same number of cheetahs, and endeavour to obtain some real coursing upon the open plain.

We started. There was hardly a bush upon the wide expanse of level ground, as smooth as a billiard table; only two or three trees occupied this large area, and they were unhealthy specimens, which looked as though periodical inundations had disagreed with them. We arrived upon this great natural race-course, and the binoculars were at once in request to scan the distant surface in search of the desired game. In a short time, as we advanced leisurely, constantly halting to take an observation, we discovered a considerable herd of about thirty or forty antelopes, among which there were two bucks perfectly black; these were feeding upon the short young grass in the very centre of the open ground. The question arose, "How in the world shall we get near them?" It was determined that our three horses should as much as possible conceal themselves on the right side of the three carts, and that they should attempt the approach by moving in a circle, getting nearer and nearer to the herd, as the black-buck family might become less shy, and more accustomed to the appearance of the carts. This plan was cleverly carried out by the drivers, and in about twenty minutes we had, by circling and alternately advancing direct, got to within 300 yards' distance. The herd was all together, as several times they had stopped feeding to gaze at our party, after which they had trotted off a little distance, and then closed up, as though for mutual protection, which gave confidence. We again halted, to try the effect upon the herd. They merely looked up, and for the moment ceased feeding, but almost immediately one of the bucks made an unprovoked attack upon the other, apparently with the intention of driving it away from the females. Instead of retreating from the insult, the affronted buck at once returned to the encounter, and a tremendous fight was the immediate result, the two combatants charging each other like rams, and boring, first one, then the other backward, with the greatest fury. During this duel the herd of females stood entranced, as admiring spectators of the struggle.

Not so our drivers, who, instead of their hitherto wary tactics, now prodded their bullocks with the sharp-pointed sticks, and drove at full trot straight towards the combatants. In this manner we gained a position within half a minute that we should perhaps never have obtained had the bucks remained in peaceful tempers; the females perceived the danger of our approach, and they started off, leaping in their usual manner many feet in the air perpendicularly at every bound, leaving the two stupid males in the ecstasy of a mortal struggle.

We reached a position within about 120 yards before the two fools observed us. They at once left off fighting, and having regarded us in astonishment for half a second, one dashed off to the left, and the other to the right, across the open plain devoid of bush, or ruts, or any obstacle to the highest speed.

At that same moment a cheetah that had been held in readiness leapt airily to the ground, and the chase commenced after the right-hand buck, which had a start of about 110 yards. The keeper simply begged us not to follow until he should give the word.

It was a magnificent sight to see the extraordinary speed of both the pursued and the pursuer. The buck flew like a bird along the level surface, followed by the cheetah, who was laying out at full stretch, with its long, thick tail brandishing in the air. They had run about 200 yards, when the keeper gave the word, and away we went as hard as the horses could go over this first-class ground, where no danger of a fall seemed possible. I never saw anything to equal the speed of the buck and cheetah; we were literally nowhere, although we were going as hard as horse-flesh could carry us, but we had a glorious view.

The cheetah was gaining in the course, literally flying along the ground, while the buck was exerting every muscle for life or death in its last race. Presently, after a course of about a quarter of a mile, the buck doubled like a hare, and the cheetah lost ground as it shot ahead, instead of turning quickly, being only about 30 yards in the rear of the buck. Recovering itself, it turned on extra steam, and the race appeared to recommence with increased speed. The cheetah was determined to win, and at this moment the buck made another double, in the hope of shaking off its terrible pursuer; but this time the cheetah ran cunningly, and was aware of the former game; it turned as sharp as the buck; gathering itself together for a final effort, it shot forward like an arrow, picked up the distance that remained between them, and in a cloud of dust for one moment we could distinguish two forms. The next instant the buck was on its back, and the cheetah's fangs were fixed like an iron vice upon its throat.

The course run was about 600 yards, and it was worth a special voyage to India only to see that hunt. The cheetah was panting to an extent that made it difficult to retain its hold. There were a few drops of blood issuing from a prick through the skin of the right haunch, where the cheetah's nails had inflicted a trifling wound when it delivered the usual telling blow of the fore paw, that felled the buck to the ground when going at full speed; beyond this there was no blood, until the keeper cut the throat in the customary manner, and the cheetah, much exhausted, was led to its cage. This was