THE TOPI CAMP. 381 



steadily I managed to kill three more before 

 they were out of range. The last shot was at 

 325 paces. In all I fired seven shots, and hit 

 six times. This was the best shooting I did in 

 Africa or anywhere else and is a first-rate ar- 

 gument for the Springfield and the high velocity, 

 sharp-pointed bullet. 



Overjoyed at our luck in collecting these ani- 

 mals so promptly, so near camp, and at a time 

 so very propitious for handling the trophies, we 

 set to the job of skinning and cutting up. The 

 able-bodied men all came out from camp to carry 

 in the meat. They appeared, grinning broadly, 

 for they had had no meat since leaving the 

 Narossara. C. and I saw matters well under 

 way, and then went on to where I had seen a 

 cheetah the day before. Hardly were we out of 

 sight when two lions sauntered over the hill 

 and proceeded to appropriate the meat ! The 

 two men in charge promptly withdrew. A mo- 

 ment later a dozen porters on their way out 

 from camp topped the hill and began to yell at 

 the lions. The latter then slowly and reluctantly 

 retreated. 



We were very sorry we had not stayed. The 

 valley seemed populated with lions, but in 

 general they were, for some reason, strictly 



