" Well, it's really simple enough. We came right on 

 to the lioness waiting for us, and I got her ; and then 

 there were shouts from the boys, and I saw a couple 

 of cubs, pretty well grown, making off in the grass. f 

 This boy Jim legged it after one of them, a cub about 

 as big as a Newfoundland dog not so high, but longer. 

 I followed as fast as I could, but he was a big Zulu 

 and went like a buck, yelling like mad all the time. 

 We were in the bend of one of the long pools down 

 near the Komati, and when I got through the reeds 

 the cub was at the water's edge facing Jim, and Jim 

 was dancing around heading it off with only one 

 light stick. As soon as it saw us coming on, the cub 

 took to the water, and Jim after it. It was as good 

 as a play. Jim swam up behind, and putting his 

 hand on its head ducked it right under : the cub turned 

 as it came up and struck out at him viciously, but he 

 was back out of reach : when it turned again to go 

 Jim ducked it again, and it went on like that six or 

 eight times, till the thing was half drowned and had 

 no more fight in it. Then Jim got hold of it by the 

 tail and swam back to us, still shouting and quite mad 

 with excitement. 



" Of course," added Bob with a wag of his head, 

 " you can say it was only a cub ; but it takes a good 

 man to go up naked and tackle a thing like that, with 

 teeth and claws to cut you into ribbons." 



" Was Jim here to-day ? " I asked, as soon as there 

 was an opening. Bob shook his head with a kindly 

 regretful smile. " No, Sonny, not here ; you'd 'a' 

 heard him. Jim's gone. I had to sack him. A real 

 23 



