18G HUNTING IN THE SOTIK [ch. viii 



lioness directly at its foot, not twelve feet away, lying 

 flat on her belly. I could only see the aftermost third 

 of her back. I at once fired into her spine. With 

 appalling grunts she dragged herself a few paces down- 

 hill ; and another bullet behind the shoulder finished 

 her. 



She was skinned as rapidly as possible, and just before 

 sundown we left thekoppie. At its foot was a deserted 

 Masai cattle kraal, and a mile from this was a shallow, 

 muddy pool, fouled by the countless herds of game that 

 drank thereat. Toward this M^e went, so that tlie thirsty 

 horses and men might drink their full. As we came 

 near we saw three rhinoceroses leaving the pool. It was 

 already too dusk for good sliooting, and we were rather 

 relieved when, after some inspection, they trotted off 

 and stood at a little distance in the plain. Our men 

 and horses drank, and then we began our ten miles' 

 march through the darkness to camp. One of Kermit's 

 gun -bearers saw a puff-adder (among the most deadly 

 of all snakes) ; with delightful nonchalance he stepped 

 on its head, and then held it up for me to put my knife 

 through its brain and neck. I slipped it into my saddle 

 pocket, where its blood stained tlie pigskin cover of the 

 little pocket "Nibelungenlied" which that day I happened 

 to carry. Immediately afterward there was a fresh 

 alarm from our friends the three rhinos. Dismoimting, 

 and crouching down, we caught the loom of their bulky 

 bodies against the horizon ; but a shot in the groimd 

 seemed to make them hesitate, and they finally con- 

 cluded not to charge. So, with the lion -skin swinging 

 behind between two porters, a dead puff-adder in my 

 saddle pocket, and three rhinos threatening us in the 

 darkness to one side, we marched campward through 

 the African night. 



