LION HUNT. 115 



and knees, and the lion, in consequence, might easily have 

 pounced upon me without a moment's warning. At that 

 time, however, I had not obtained any experimental knowl- 

 edge of the old saying, "A burnt child dreads the fire," and 

 therefore felt little or no apprehension. 



Thus I had proceeded for some time, when suddenly, and 

 within a few paces of where I stood, I heard a low, angry 

 growl, which caused the dogs, with hair erect in the manner 

 of hogs' bristles, and with their tails between their legs, to 

 slink behind my heels. Immediately afterward a tremendous 

 shout of " Ongeama ! Ongeama !" was raised by the natives 

 on the bank above, followed by a discharge of fire-arms. 

 Presently, however, all was still again, for the lion, as I sub- 

 sequently learned, after showing himself on the outskirts of 

 the brake, had retreated into it. 



Once more I attempted to dislodge the beast ; but, finding 

 the enemy awaiting him in the more open country, he was 

 very loth to leave his stronghold. Again, however, I suc- 

 ceeded in driving him to the edge of the brake, where, as in 

 the first instance, he was received with a volley ; but a broom- 

 stick would have been equally efficacious as a gun in the 

 hands of these people, for out of a great number of shot that 

 were fired, not one seemed to have taken effect. 



Worn out at length by my exertions, and disgusted be- 

 yond measure at the way in which the natives bungled the 

 affair, I left the tamarisk brake, and, rejoining them on the 

 bank above, ofi'ered to change places with them ; but my pro- 

 posal, as I expected, was forthwith declined. 



As the day, however, was now fast drawing to a close, I 

 determined to make one other effort to destroy the lion, and, 

 should that prove unsuccessful, to give up the chase. Accord- 

 ingly, accompanied by only a single native, I again entered 

 the brake in question, which I examined for some time with- 

 out seeing any thing ; but on arriving at that part of the 

 cover we had first searched, and Avhen in a spot compara- 



