With the cooking and eating of his supper the time went cheerfully; but meantime the flame had died out, and something alighted with a thud just behind.

He whipped round, but could see nothing, and moved to the fire to kick some of the live coals to the next heap.

In that instant the antelope was seized and carried off in a couple of bounds just inside the reeds, for he heard plainly the tearing of the flesh, the snarls, the growling, and the crunching of bones.

He crouched near the fire, for it was not pleasant to think of that stealthy approach and that bold foray, and wondered whether the buck would satisfy the pair of fierce creatures.

The fire flared up, crackled fiercely, sending up, as before, its fiery messengers into the air, then gradually died down to a glowing heap; and the leopards were still at their meal, purring now, a monstrous cat-like purr.