406 HUNTING ADVENTUKES. 



gun in position. The six lions came steadily on along the stony 

 ridge, until within sixty yards of me, when they halted for a minute 

 to reconnoitre. One of them stretched out his massive arms on the 

 rock and lay down ; the others then came on, and he rose and brought 

 up the rear. They walked, as I had anticipated, to the old drink- 

 ing-place, and three of them had put down their heads and were 

 lapping the water loudly, when Kleinboy thought it necessary to 

 shove up his ugly head. I turned my head slowly to rebuke him, 

 and again turning to the lions I found myself discovered. 



An old lioness, who seemed to take the lead, had detected me, 

 and with her head high, and her eyes fixed full upon me, she was 

 coming slowly round the corner of the little vley to cultivate further 

 my acquaintance. This unfortunate proceeding put a stop at once 

 to all further contemplation. I thought, in my haste, that it was 

 perhaps most prudent to shoot this lioness, especially as none of the 

 others had noticed me. I accordingly moved my arm and covered 

 her ; she saw me move and halted, exposing a full broadside. I 

 fired ; the ball entered one shoulder and passed out behind the other. 

 She then bounded forward with repeated growls, and was followed 

 by her five comrades all enveloped in a cloud of dust; nor did they 

 stop until they had reached the cover behind me, except one old gen 

 tleman, who halted and looked back for a few seconds, when I fired, 

 but the ball went high. I listened anxiously for some sound to de- 

 note the approaching end of the lioness; nor listened in vain. I 

 heard her growling and stationary, as if dying. In one minute her 

 comrades crossed the vley a little below me, and made towards the 

 rhinoceros. I then slipped Wolf and Boxer on her scent, and fol- 

 lowing them into the cover, I found her lying dead within twimty 

 yards of where the old lion had lain two nights before; This \ras a 

 fine old lioness, with perfect teeth, and was certainly a noble prize ; 

 but I felt dissatisfied at not having rather shot a lion, which I had 

 most certainly done if my Hottentot had not unfortunately destroyed 

 HT contemplation. 



