XVIII THREE LIONS SEEN 307 



the morning, and was walking across an open plain 

 studded with large ant-heaps, from which the long 

 grass had been for the most part burnt off. On my 

 right was a small river whose banks were fringed 

 with a thick growth of scrubby bush. My course 

 lay parallel to this river, but outside the strip of 

 bush. Suddenly I came in sight of two lions at a 

 distance of 400 or 500 yards out on the open plain. 

 They were advancing at a slow walk towards the 

 river and had been previously hidden from our view 

 by some large ant-heaps. These two lions saw us 

 at the same moment that we saw them, and at once 

 halted and stood watching us. Telling my native 

 attendants to sit down and remain where they were 

 until my return, I commenced to walk towards the 

 lions, hoping that they would allow me to approach 

 within shot before running off, as I knew that these 

 animals, which in many parts of Africa are very 

 shy and wary, had very little fear of man in the 

 Pungwe river district at that time. However, 

 before I had advanced fifty paces, both lions turned 

 round and commenced to walk slowly towards a small 

 patch of long yellow grass which had escaped the 

 last grass fire. They walked away from me at a 

 very slow and leisurely pace. One seemed a 

 monster, the other either a female or a young male 

 with no mane. 



I now commenced to run towards them, but had 

 not gone far, when a third lion, that had previously 

 been hidden by a large ant-heap, was suddenly 

 revealed to me. He had evidently been walking 

 over the plain about a hundred yards to the right 

 of the other two lions, and not having seen me, 

 did not understand why these latter had first come 

 to a halt and then turned round and walked back 

 again in the direction from which they had just come. 

 When I first saw the third lion he was standing 

 turned away from me and looking at the other two. 



