60 LION-HUNTING [ch. iii 



Major was determined to get his assailant, which he felt 

 sure would soon return. Accordingly, he went back to 

 his bed, drew his cocked rifle beside him, pointing 

 toward his feet, and feigned sleep. When all was still 

 once more, a dim form loomed up through the un- 

 certain light, toward the foot of the bed ; it was the 

 ravenous beast returning for his prey, and the Major 

 shot and killed it where it stood. 



A few months ago a hyena entered the outskirts of 

 Nairobi, crept into a hut, and seized and killed a native 

 man. At Nairobi tlie wild creatures are always at the 

 threshold of the town, and often cross it. At Governor 

 Jackson's table, at Government House, I met Mr. and 

 Mrs. Sandiford. Mr. Sandiford is managing the rail- 

 road. A few months previously, while he was sitting 

 with his family in his own house in Nairobi, he happened 

 to ask his daughter to look for something in one of the 

 bedrooms. She returned in a minute, quietly remark- 

 ing : " Father, there's a leopard under the bed." So 

 there was ; and it was then remembered that the house- 

 cat had been showing a marked and alert distrust of 

 the room in question — very probably the leopard had 

 got into the house while trying to catch her or one of 

 the dogs. A neighbour with a rifle was summoned, and 

 shot the leopard. 



Hyenas not infrequently kill nuiles and donkeys, 

 tearing open their bellies, and eating them while they 

 are still alive. Yet when themselves assailed they 

 usually behave with abject cowardice. The Hills had 

 a large Airedale terrier, an energetic dog of much 

 courage. Not long before our visit this dog put up 

 a hyena from a bushy ravine in broad daylight, ran 

 after it, overtook it, and flew at it. The hyena made 

 no eflective flght, although the dog — not a third its 



