88 MY SOMALI BOOK 



time that cartridge was replaced, the rest had made 

 up their minds it was time to go and were galloping off 

 to the left. I might have fired at one of these, but did 

 not think the shot, a galloping one at sixty or seventy 

 yards, good enough under the circumstances and let 

 them go. I had two lionesses down in the long grass, 

 both I knew hard hit, but one at least I knew to be 

 alive, and I had no certain knowledge of how far 

 either of them was disabled. Without a second 

 double-barrel I was not keen on having a possible 

 third wounded beast on my hands and don't mind 

 saying so. 



Well ! careful reconnoitring of the grass soon 

 showed lioness No. 1 lying just outside round the 

 corner, alive but done for ; she made an effort to rise 

 on seeing me but could not do it, and with a second 

 bullet she died. Listening and watching, we found 

 No. 2 was also alive and able to move. So we decided 

 to fire the grass, first dragging the corpse of No. 1 out 

 of danger from the flames. Then climbmg into a 

 convenient low tree, whence I could see over the grass 

 to some extent, I waited while Elmi started a fire on 

 the windward side. It blazed up quickly and in three 

 minutes a growl or two and the waving grass showed 

 the second lioness was moving. She came out twent}^- 

 five yards from me, on her fore paws, her hindquarters 

 dragging useless behind her. Catching sight of the body 

 of her dead companion close by, she made for this and 

 sitting down beside it, bit viciously at the poor corpse. 

 Was this another case, like the partridge, of hitting a 

 friend when he's down, or merely wrath that had to 

 wreak its vengeance on something ? Anj^way, I only 



