THE LION 203 



4. I don't think I was as near as 100 yards when the Hons 

 stopped. I saw both the Hons. (C. Hill thought Grey could not 

 have seen them stop) 



5. I did not believe that lions would charge unless shot at. 



6. As soon as Hill shot I leapt off my pony. 



7. I thought that after galloping the Hons they would stop 

 somewhere and that I should get a quiet shot at them. 



8. (To C. Hill going to the station) **I thought I was a match 

 for any lion but find that is not so." 



I suppose from the time the charge took place to the moment 

 when the Hon was dead would be about 3 minutes, not more. 

 We had 300 yards to gallop (Hill ran it almost as fast as we gal- 

 loped, mounted and dismounted). The Hon ceased to maul 

 and savage Grey when he saw us galloping up, and lifted his 

 great shaggy head and stared at me with his mouth wide open 

 and all streaming with blood. At about 20 yards Howard and I 

 had dismounted and walked in, the Hon looking at us, the other 

 lion crouching grunting and lashing his tail just beyond the one 

 we had to kill. Hill's and my first shots were simultaneous, Hill 

 fired another and I another, and Howard two. 



To the first shots the lion responded by savaging Grey and 

 then he bounced up and came at us and went back and lay down 

 on Grey again and Hill's next shot knocked him out and then 

 Hill's rifle jammed. I put the muzzle of my rifle to the right 

 side of the lion's head and fired and he just flopped it on the 

 ground. We thought Grey was dead. Hill called to me "the 

 other lion is going to charge my rifle is jammed you have got to kill 

 him.'' I said "for God's sake don't look at him I cant stop him 

 with my rifle" (.256) — I told Howard not to look at him. Grey 

 said to Hill, "you want a rifle, take mine": then in a minute or 

 two the lion moved off slowly. 



A couple of days later poor, gallant George Grey died in the 

 hospital at Nairobi. A gamer and hardier man, and a stauncher 

 and more loyal friend never trod the African wilderness. 



As we have said above we do not entirely agree with 

 Pease about the rifles proper to use for lions. He explicitly 



