142 MY SOMALI BOOK 



to afford the best command of the situation, but was 

 entirely exposed. 



Abdilleh remained with me, sending Elmi with 

 four other trackers we had brought from the karia 

 to throw stones and sticks into the grass from the 

 other side. The lioness would not move for some 

 minutes, but at last sprang out from the thickest part, 

 and stood where the grass was thinner, looking to see 

 what was disturbing her. She was twenty yards 

 from me, but I could only see the back of her neck and 

 one ear. I fired and saw the head and neck go down 

 out of sight in the grass, then after a moment reappear 

 in almost the same place. I had no more to aim at 

 than before, and having emptied one chamber would 

 ordinarily have reloaded it or waited for her to show 

 more of herself before firing again. But I saw that 

 one of the beaters on the other side had foolishly come 

 much too close, and, ignorant of her whereabouts, 

 was actually within ten yards of the lioness : I realised 

 too from the fixed position of her head so far as I could 

 see it, and from a glimpse of a switching tail, that she 

 had detected and was watching him. Fearing that 

 she was on the point of going for him, I fired again at 

 once and rather hurriedly. 



At the shot she turned and dashed out into the 

 open to my left, then, catching sight of us, instead of 

 continuing her flight, checked with startling sudden- 

 ness, and stood for a second only fifteen yards away. 

 She was the picture of rage ; her eyes flashing yellow 

 fire, very different from the brown sleepiness some- 

 times seen in a lion in captivity ; her muscles tense 

 and ready for action ; her tail switching once to the 



