120 AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES 



did not find them, so he determined to send in 

 the boys to drive them out a dangerous under- 

 taking. 



"Reluctantly the blacks entered the lair and 

 began shouting and beating the brush with 

 sticks. Chapman, on the outside, a few rods in 

 advance, waited for the lions to appear. Half 

 of the thicket had been driven over when a 

 beater found one of the lions, dead, and it was 

 dragged into the open. ' This discovery some- 

 what encouraged the men, and they returned to 

 the brush more willingly. 



"There still remained about one hundred 

 yards of the thicket to be driven, yet so far 

 only two lions had been seen. Chapman was 

 beginning to think that the ones he had seen 

 the evening before must have escaped during 

 the night. Suddenly a large lioness stepped 

 from cover and calmly stood gazing at the 

 Englishman. As he raised his rifle and took 

 aim, two more lions appeared some distance 

 farther on. Chapman fired, and when the bul- 

 let struck the lioness she gave a deep, hoarse 

 growl and, wheeling about, charged him. The 

 distance between them was so short that he 

 did not have time to reload. The infuriated 



