MY FIRST LION 55 



For an instant I was undecided whether to 

 stand my ground or run. But I realised that it 

 would be useless to run for she would overtake 

 me in a few seconds, so I remained kneeling, to 

 meet the charge and take whatever punishment 

 she might give me. 



It was the first wild lioness I had seen, and I 

 expected her to charge in great bounds, but, in- 

 stead, she glided along close to the ground. I 

 waited until she had covered possibly ten yards, 

 to see if she would change her pace, and as she 

 still came on at the same steady glide I settled 

 myself for action. 



It would be like shooting at a stationary ob- 

 ject that grew larger every second; but there 

 was now no time to lose, for she was coming 

 with the speed of an express-train and "every 

 little movement had a meaning all its own." 



I heard a rumbling growl at every step she 

 took, and my eye, focussed through the globe- 

 sight of the rifle, looked squarely at a light spot 

 on her breast through which I hoped to send 

 the bullet that would stop the mechanism that 

 worked those claw-armed paws and those pow- 

 erful, merciless jaws. 



The rifle-sight covered the light chest spot 



