200 THROUGH GASA LAND. 



ing bones was audible, a sign that the fleshy portions 

 of the body had been nearly consumed, so there was 

 every possibility that the feast would soon be 

 finished, and the gourmands take their departure 

 for their after-supper drink. I had commenced to 

 express disgust at the hopelessness of the situation, 

 and murmured inwardly, " Just like my luck, just 

 like my luck," when a glint of subdued light threw 

 itself across the scene. By it I could see the lioness 

 and make out the outline of two cubs, each about 

 the size of a large Newfoundland dog. Such a 

 chance was not to be lost ; in an instant I had my 

 rifle aligned for the back of where I supposed the 

 elbow of the shoulder of the parent to be. I heard 

 the bullet strike, and in an instant after I put in a 

 second shot ; but to this was no response, except 

 the deep guttural owh ! owh ! which the large 

 felidce make when suddenly alarmed and forced to 

 beat a retreat. For good five minutes I heard this 

 sullen sound repeated, till distance killed it. Then 

 I realised that all my patience and inconvenience 

 had been thrown away, nor could I find fault with 

 myself in any way. Possibly my disappointment 

 would have been more endurable if I could. It 

 was the light, and the light alone, that was to 

 blame. 



In later years I have on more than one occasion 

 known a good game shot miss even an elephant or 

 rhinoceros when shooting from a sckerm, at even a 



