XV KINGSLEY MEETS A LIONESS 277 



of the tse-tse fly. Both buffaloes and tse-tse flies, 

 I may say, ceased to exist in this district long long 

 ago. 



One evening I was coming home, and within a 

 mile of camp — all my Kafirs and Bushmen carrying 

 heavy loads of meat cut from two fat buffalo cows 

 which I had shot during the day — when, whilst we 

 were passing through a thick patch of scrubby 

 thorn bush, a shot was fired a short distance to 

 our right, immediately followed by a loud purring 

 growl ; then all was quiet again. 



Calling to my Bushman gun-carrier to keep close, 

 I ran in the direction of the sound, and soon came 

 upon Kingsley quite alone and looking rather scared. 

 Having a sore heel, he had remained in camp ; but 

 it appeared that having seen a buffalo bull crossing 

 the open valley on the other side of which our 

 camp was situated, he had gone after it all by him- 

 self. Being quite strange to the country and know- 

 ing nothing about hunting, Kingsley had lost sight of 

 the buffalo amongst the thorn scrub, and not being 

 able to follow its tracks, was making his way back 

 to camp, when he suddenly saw an animal moving 

 through the bush about twenty yards ahead of him, 

 which he took to be an impala antelope, as he could 

 only see it very indistinctly. He immediately 

 fired at it through the scrub, when, to his horror, a 

 lioness thrust her head into the open, and staring 

 fixedly at him, gave a low growl. Kingsley said he 

 stood quite still, but was afraid to reload his rifle or 

 make any movement for fear of further exciting the 

 savage-looking animal. The latter, however, after 

 having gazed steadily at him for a few moments, 

 turned and trotted off 



We now examined the place where the lioness 

 had been standing when Kingsley fired at her, but 

 could find no blood, and I have no doubt that he 

 missed her. We then tried to track her ; but her 



