Lion 



a bit of sport up the Nile. Charming people, and 

 only too ready to be amused ! 



Off we started, and walked and walked, till I 

 began to get very disgusted at not seeing any- 

 thing, as we had been all over the best roan 

 ground. At last, as we were emerging out of bush 

 to an open bit of plain. P., who was slightly in 

 advance, put up his rifle at something. The 

 cartridge missed fire and gave us time to come 

 up with him and find a lioness, totally unconscious 

 of our close proximity, — as we were the right way 

 of the wind — walking unconcernedly across our 

 path. 



Bang ! went W. 's rifle, but he missed her clean, 

 and then P. and I fired simultaneously, and she 

 dropped in her tracks to the discharge. This was 

 also a neck shot ! And again she moved, like the 

 other lion, when we struck her with a clod of 

 earth. The neck shot usually means paralysis, 

 and death inside of ten minutes ; but there is just 

 the chance of a lot of trouble beforehand in the 

 case of a savage animal. 



Now came the discussion as to whom the lion 

 belonged. W. was put out of court as he had 

 missed her, and in any case he was using a rifle 

 of a different calibre to the Mannlichers employed 

 by P. and myself. We all agreed th^t death had 

 been caused by the shot in the neck. I was 

 using soft-nosed split bullets, and P.'s were soft- 

 nosed without being split ; so he and I went to 

 L 145 



