72 Seven Years in the Soudan.

order to get rid of these disagreeable visitors I killed three of them, and Haggi two ; but I might have used up all my powder without attaining my end.

The more doora we sowed the more the numlDer of monkeys increased, and the animals in full daylight dug it up and devoured it. It was necessary to put some men on guard there.

The monkeys never descend from the trees, excepting by day ; in the night they are afraid of the lions and leopards. These last are found here in great number, and every night we hear them roar and fight.

The natives never venture alone into these woods, for fear the lions should devour them.

T was still too weak to go hunting, or carry my heav} rifle, but Haggi brought us every day guineafowl, bustards, and other game. The forest was almost entirely in the water, above which rose here and there some dryland. Haggi one day very nearly paid dearly for his favourite pastime. In the company of a soldier he was resting under a tree, when he heard a roar at a little distance ; he took his rifle without waking the soldier, who was asleep, and fired at a wild-boar, which fell into a tliicket. Bat while he was stooping to pick it up he saw a magnificent leopard opposite him. Fortunately he had the other barrel still loaded, for the leopard was in the act of taking the fatal leap when the shot fell. The bullet wounded the leopard seriously, but did not kill him on the spot, and he liad still strength enough to spring upon Haggi, putting his paws on his shoulder. Haggi made a desperate effort, and, hurling the leopard into a thicket, withdrew softly, calling the soldier, who, half-dead with fatigue, heard neither shots nor cries. At last Haggi succeeded in awaking him, reloaded his gun, and, followed by the soldier, went very cautiously in search of the leopard. The animal lay dead on the very spot where he had sprung upon Haggi. The ball had broken the left leg, traversed the