THE FIRST LIONESS 



hammering than any other lion I killed or saw 

 killed. Before the final shot in the brain she had 

 taken one light bullet and five heavy ones with hardly 

 a wince. Memba Sasa uttered a loud grunt of 

 satisfaction when she went down for keeps. He had 

 the Springfield reloaded and cocked, right at my 

 elbow. 



Hill's gunboy hovered uncertainly some distance 

 in the rear. The sight of the charging lioness had 

 been too much for him and he had bolted. He was 

 not actually up a tree; but he stood very hear one. 

 He lost the gun and acquired a swift kick. 



Our friends and the men now came up. The dogs 

 made a great row over the dead lioness. She was 

 measured and skinned to accompaniment of the 

 usual low-hummed chantings. We had with us a 

 small boy of ten or twelve years whose job it was 

 to take care of the dogs and to remove ticks. In 

 fact he was known as the Tick Toto. As this was 

 his first expedition afield, his father took especial 

 pains to smear him with fat from the lioness. This 

 was to make him brave. I am bound to confess the 

 effect was not immediate. 



