i86 THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 



rule. But I have always cherished a theory that even 

 a wounded lion can be bluffed out, provided the man 

 does the charging first, before the beast can gather his 

 faculties. Here was a heaven-given opportunity to try 

 that out. 



So I took the .405, stepped out from our sapling, and 

 began to walk steadily toward him. 



If I had stood still in his sight for the instant neces- 

 sary for him to see what I was, he would have come in; 

 for he was hurt and angry. But he had not that in- 

 stant. Holding my rifle ready for immediate action, I 

 advanced on him at an even gait. He saw me at once, 

 and fixed on me his great yellow eyes. 



He sat thus absolutely still while I covered about 

 half the distance between us. In my mind I had fixed 

 upon a certain little bush twenty yards or so from the 

 lion as the point at which I should begin to shoot. When 

 I still had half a dozen yards to go, the intentness of 

 his gaze broke. He began to act exactly as a dog 

 does when he is embarrassed, glancing down, now to 

 right, now to left. At twenty-five yards the pressure 

 became too great. He suddenly turned and bolted! 

 And I missed a hasty shot at him as he ran! 



Mind you his nerve was not broken, for within 100 

 yards or so he rounded to in a small clump of brush, 

 whence he charged desperately. Only, as I say, the 

 pressure was too steady and too persistent for so 

 nervously organized an animal to endure. 



