250 A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



the lion by going along the top of it — at the same 

 time taking him at an advantage — than by following 

 the bed. So leading Bottle to the top, I there left 

 him, and walked along the edge of the steep bank, 

 holding my rifle in readiness, and keeping a sharp 

 look-out on all sides. All at once, about thirty 

 yards in front, I saw, just appearing above the edge 

 of the bank, something that looked like the top of 

 a lion's mane as it waved slightly in the wind. I 

 was not left long in doubt, for suddenly a shaggy 

 head was popped up just for a second ot time, and 

 then both head and mane disappeared. Thinking 

 he was still there, I got to a place from whence I 

 could command a view of where I had just seen him, 

 but on attaining it had the mortification to find that 

 he had made off. The sight of me, instead of 

 rousing him to resent the injury he had already 

 received, had only decided him to decamp afresh. 

 I now went down into the bed of the gully and 

 again took up his spoor, which, after reaching the 

 river's edge, turned into a patch of fearfully thick 

 and thorny bush. I was peering through this and 

 thinking it would be madness to crawl into it after 

 a wounded lion, when with a hoarse growl the brute 

 raised himself up not fifteen yards off, looked 

 towards me, showed his teeth, and then, his heart 

 again failing him, crept away with as much speed 

 as his wounded state would allow. Although so 

 near me, the thickness of the scrub rendered the 

 chance of a successful shot so uncertain that I did 

 not think it advisable to fire. Just then a heavy 

 shower of rain commenced to fall, the sun, too, was 

 all but down, so I thought it the wisest plan to ride 

 back to the waggons and return on the following 

 day with the dogs, feeling sure that the lion was so 



