394 



A HUNTER'S WANDERINGS ch. 



the hut, but Cross had to go down to our camp to 

 get his, and so lost his chance of a shot, for under 

 the circumstances I could not well wait for him, but 

 ran with Jantje to where I could now hear the dogs 

 barking. As we neared the spot, we could distinguish 

 the low murmuring growls of the lion mingling with 

 the sharp yelping of about twenty dogs. We were 

 just getting nicely up to the brute, that was lying 

 flat on the ground, at the foot of a small mopani 

 tree, holding the remains of the missing calf between 

 its fore paws, when a Kafir of Mrs. Viljoen, who 

 carried a musket, fired from behind me, and immedi- 

 ately afterwards Jantje also fired. They both missed 

 the lioness, however, and with a growl she jumped 

 up and cantered off, hotly pursued by the whole 

 pack of dogs. With a curse both loud and deep, 

 I followed at my best pace, and as she only ran 

 about 300 yards before the dogs brought her to 

 bay again, I was soon up with her once more. She 

 stood with her tail held straight in the air, growling 

 savagely at the dogs, that were barking all round 

 her, and occasionally making a grab at one of them 

 with her paw. I now ran up behind a small bush 

 to within forty yards of her, and waiting till she 

 turned broadside to me, gave her a bullet through 

 the two shoulders, which at once put her hors de 

 combat. Just as she fell. Cross, who had lost no time, 

 rushed up. She was an average-sized lioness, in low 

 condition, and with a mangy coat — one of those old 

 beasts that, being past their full strength, and unable 

 any longer to catch game with certainty, take to prowl- 

 ing about the habitations of men, catching goats, dogs, 

 and, when pressed by hunger, women and children. 

 Such lions are far more dangerous to human beings 

 than younger and more vigorous animals. At length, 



