26 AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES 



sight imaginable. Contrary to general belief, a 

 lion does not bound toward its enemy; it scoots 

 or glides along over the ground with a speed sim- 

 ply remarkable for an animal so stocky and with 

 such short legs. 



The true lion-hunter can always tell whether 

 a lion is actually charging or is simply trying to 

 escape even though it may be coming toward 

 him. When trying to escape, a lion lopes along 

 in an easy but not extremely rapid manner. But 

 when he gives his tail a flirt in the air and starts 

 toward you with his belly almost touching the 

 ground, his forefeet reaching out like those of a 

 pacing race-horse, his jaws half open, and, with 

 every step, emitting a deep, guttural growl 

 which strikes you in the chest and goes right 

 on through, then he is charging. Ninety-nine 

 times out of a hundred he will not stop unless 

 you kill him, so govern yourself accordingly. 



If, when you start out lion-hunting, you think 

 the time will come when you will have to run, 

 stay at home, for, unless you have a companion 

 who can help you out of a scrape, should you 

 ever turn your back on a charging lion, that's the 

 beginning of your end. The best you can hope 

 to do is to postpone death for a few seconds and, 



