204 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



The only thing that saved them was the thick 

 and spiky character of the cover. The lion, in- 

 stead of charging straight and fast, was picking 

 an easy way. 



We tore directly up hill as fast as we were able, 

 leaping from rock to rock, and thrusting reck- 

 lessly through the tangle. About half-way up I 

 jumped to the top of a high, conical rock, and 

 thence by good luck caught sight of the lion's 

 great yellow head advancing steadily about 

 eighty yards away. I took as good a sight as 

 I could and pulled trigger. The recoil knocked 

 me clear off the boulder, but as I fell I saw his 

 tail go up and knew that I had hit. At once 

 Clifford Hill and I jumped up on the rock again, 

 but the lion had moved out of sight. By this 

 time, however, the sound of the shots and the 

 smell of blood had caused the dogs to close in. 

 They did not, of course, attempt to attack the 

 lion, nor even to get very near him, but their 

 snarling and barking showed us the beast's 

 whereabouts. Even this much is bad judgment 

 on their part, as a number of them have been 

 killed at it. The thicket burst into an unholy 

 row. 



We all manoeuvred rapidly for position. Again 

 luck was with me, for again I saw his great head, 



