HUNTING LIONS. 429 



hand. This haa the effect of making him shift his position, but he 

 still kept in the densest part of the reeds, where I could do nothing 

 with him. 



Presently my followers came up, who, as a matter of course, at 

 once established themselves safely in the tops of thorn-trees. After 

 about ten minutes' bullying, the lion seemed to consider his quarters 

 too hot for him, and suddenly madt a rush to escape from his perse- 

 cutors, continuing his course down along the edge of the river. The 

 dog, however, again gave him chase, and soon brought him to bay 

 in another dense patch of reeds, just as bad as the last. Out of this 

 in a few minutes I managed to start him, when he bolted up the 

 river, and came to bay in a narrow strip of reeds. Here he lay so 

 close that for a long time I could not ascertain his whereabouts ; at 

 length, however, he made a charge among the dogs, and, coming 

 forward took up a position near the outside of the reeds, where for 

 the first time I was enabled to give him a shot. My ball entered 

 his body a little behind the shoulder. On receiving it he charged 

 growling after the dogs, but no farther than the edge of the reeds, 

 out of which he was extremely reluctant to move. I gave him a 

 second shot, firing for his head ; my ball entered his eye, and passed 

 through the back of the roof of his mouth. 



The lion then sprang up, and facing about, dashed through the 

 reeds, and plunged into the river, across which he swam, dyeing the 

 waters with his blood; one black dog, named "Schwart," alone 

 pursued him. A huge crocodile, attracted by the blood, followed in 

 their wake, but fortunately did not take my dog, which I much 

 feared he would do. Present fired at the lion as he swam, and 

 missed him ; both my barrels were empty. Before, however, the 

 lion could make the opposite bank, I had one loaded without patch, 

 and just as his feet grazed the ground I made a fine shot at his 

 neck, and turned him over dead on the spot. Present, Carollus, 

 and Adonis, then swam in and brought him through. We landed 

 him by an old hippopotamus foot-path, and, the day being damp 

 and cold, we kindled a fire, beside which we skinned him. While 

 this was going forward I had a painful duty to perform viz. to load 

 one barrel, and blow out Rascality's brains, whom the lion had ut 



