SEEING IS BELIEVING
The fellows were just thinking about sending a couple of scouts to hunt for
me when I went running pell-mell into camp, shouting that I had captured a
leopard.
"A what?" Westy asked.
"A leopard," I shouted, "as sure as I stand here. Come and see for
yourselves. He's tied by a rope; he's got fly paper all over him!"
"How many sodas did you have?" Harry Donnelle asked me.
I said, "That's all right, you just come and see."
"It's a leopard; you can see it for yourself." Harry said, "Sit down,
Kiddo, and--rest and have a cup of coffee. Guess you fell asleep by the
wayside, hey? Tell us all about your dream. Here's a plate of beans. Did
you see any mermaids?"
"Never you mind about beans and mermaids," I told him; "one man told me
already that they were cow tracks I saw. I guess he wouldn't want to go
through what I've been through since then. The animal had five toes on
his fore feet and four on his hind feet-that's a leopard, I'm pretty sure.
Anyway, he's got spots. You come and see."
"You don't think it could have been a spotted calf, do you, Kid?" Harry
said in that nice easy way he has of jollying. I don't know much about
calves' toes, but I've eaten calves' feet.
Even after I had told them all about it, they all said I must have been
seeing things and that probably the animal was a raccoon or maybe
_possibly_ a wildcat. Anyway, Harry Donnelle said they'd all go back
with me to the place, because they thought maybe we'd get in trouble on
account of plastering some honest, hard working calf with fly paper. But
just the same he took his rifle, I noticed that. I carried the lantern.
All the way through the woods they were jollying me and calling me _Roy the
Leopard Killer,_ and Harry Donnelle said I must have been carried off on
the magic carpet to India, just like the people in the Arabian Nights. All
the while I didn't say anything and when we came to the tree and the spring
house, I went ahead and saw that the animal was lying close to the tree, as
if he were asleep. I guess he was all exhausted. The rope was fast around
his body just behind his fore legs where it couldn't choke him and where he
couldn't get free of it. He started up when I went near him, but didn't
seem to get excited.
I just held the lantern and said, "You see what a fine calf this is. He
ought to win a prize at the County Fair. He's disguised as a leopard, but
he can't fool us--I mean you fellows. You can bet boy scouts know a calf
when they see one."
They just stood there about fifteen or twenty feet off, staring. Even Harry
Donnelle stood stark still, staring. "What's the matter?" I said.
"Are you afraid of a poor calf? Come down in the front row; I won't let him
hurt you." Then Harry came nearer, but the other fellows stood over near
the spring house, so they could scoot inside, I suppose. The Safety First
Patrol!
Harry Donnelle just looked and then he said, "By--the--great--horn--spoon!
It's a _leopard._"
"I thought maybe it was a nanny goat," I said.
He just shook his head and looked at the animal all over and said, "Jumping
Christopher! That's a _leopard,_ as sure as you live."
"Well, if you insist," I said.
"I never heard of a leopard on the North American Continent," he said,
shaking his head-.
"I guess he swam over, hey?" I said.
"Jingoes, I hate to shoot him," he said.
By now all the bold, brave, heroic Silver Foxes began coming closer to get
a good pike at the leopard. Every time the animal stirred, they'd back away
again. Once the leopard stood up and pulled against the rope and rubbed his
paw over his face, and gee whiz, you should have seen that bunch scatter.
Dorry Benton went scooting into the well house.
But pretty soon they all saw that there wasn't any fight left in that wild
beast. He wasn't suffering, but he was blind and all exhausted. Even still
none of us exactly liked to touch him and we didn't get too near; even I
didn't, I have to admit it.
Harry Donnelle held the lantern over toward the animal and looked at him
ever so long, as if he just couldn't believe his eyes. "He's a magnificent
specimen," he said; "I'd give a good deal to know how he happened in these
parts."
"Oh," I said, "the woods are full of them, they were prowling all around
here when I came through. One of them was about twice as big as that." Oh
boy, you should have seen those fellows look around through the woods. Will
Dawson went into the spring house to get a drink of water; he was thirsty
all of a sudden.
All the while Harry Donnelle was kind of pondering and then he said, "A
couple of you kids go into the village and get a wheelbarrow or a cart or
something. I don't think this fellow is in pain; I'm going to take him
alive. I can't put a bullet into him. I never saw such a magnificent
specimen."
"Suppose we should meet some more," Hunt Manners said, just as he and Westy
were starting along the path.
"Take some fly paper with you," I said, "and think of your brave patrol
leader."
"You won't meet any more," Harry Donnelle said; "this fellow must have
strayed down out of the mountains. There is a species of leopard found in
America, but I never knew they grew to such a size as this, or had spots
either. Trot along and get back as soon as you can."
While the two fellows were gone, Harry tied
the leopard's fore feet and then his hind feet together with rope. He wound
it around good and plenty and tied it fast, you can bet, and then we just
sat around waiting.
Pretty soon along came the whole village, postmaster and all, and Hunt and
Westy with a wheelbarrow. Some escort! You'd think Westy and Hunt were
General Pershing getting home from France. I should think they would have
been afraid someone would steal the village while they were gone. Because
you know yourself that there are lots of robberies and hold-ups and thefts
and things since the war.