174 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



hit her both together. The mere shock stopped 

 her short, but recovering instantly, she sprang 

 forward again. Hill's third shot came next, and 

 perceptibly slowed and staggered, but did not 

 stop her. By this time she was quite close, and 

 my own third shot reached her brain. She rolled 

 over dead. 



Decidedly she was a game beast, and stood 

 more hammering than any other lion I killed or 

 saw killed. Before the final shot in the brain she 

 had taken one light bullet and five heavy ones 

 with hardly a wince. Memba Sasa uttered a 

 loud grunt of satisfaction when she went down 

 for good. He had the Springfield reloaded and 

 cocked, right at my elbow. 



Hill's gunboy hovered uncertainly some dis- 

 tance in the rear. The sight of the charging lion- 

 ess had been too much for him and he had bolted. 

 He was not actually up a tree ; but he stood very 

 near one. He lost the gun and acquired a swift 

 kick. 



Our friends and the men now came up. The 

 dogs made a great row over the dead lioness. 

 She was measured and skinned to accompaniment 

 of the usual low-hummed chantings. We had 

 with us a small boy of ten or twelve years whose 

 job it was to take care of the dogs and to remove 



