THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 133 



So vigorous was this crashing that I thought it must 

 be either a buffalo or a rhinoceros. The banks of the 

 ravine immediately at hand were almost perpendicular 

 and perhaps eight or ten feet high; but both upstream 

 and downstream, and about twenty yards apart, game 

 trails had been worn to a good grade. I ran directly 

 for a point midway between these game trails. My 

 thought was that from this vantage I would be able to 

 see the beast whether it continued in the bed of the 

 ravine, or whether it climbed out by either of the trails. 

 This looked like a safe plan, for no rhinoceros or 

 buffalo would attempt to scale that steep bank. 



A big maned lion leaped to the top of the bank right 

 in my face! 



I was just four yards from him. In the fraction of 

 an instant that he paused to assure his balance I re- 

 covered from the shock of surprise, swung the bead of 

 my .405 on him, and pulled the trigger. It would be 

 exceedingly interesting to know just the actual lapse 

 of time between the appearance of the lion and the 

 first shot. In reality it must have been exceedingly 

 short, for the beast was caught between the landing 

 from his leap and his spring; he indubitably in- 

 tended to attack, knew just where we were, and was 

 out to make a fight of it. Yet I apparently had time 

 to notice a great many little details, such as the fact 

 that the lion had an unusually fine mane ; that the mane 

 was so erect between the ears as almost to point for- 



