THE FLESH-EATERS 29 



spoor of a lion within fifty yards of us. This beast 

 had already killed one man, and was then attacking 

 the cattle of a village near at hand. Why it neglected 

 to attack our six horses or ourselves that dark 

 moonless night, as we lay without the protection of 

 a fire, I have never been able to discover. This same 

 animal killed an ox a night or two after, and was 

 subsequently slain by the people of the Bakarutse 

 village near where we camped. 



In Central and most other portions of Africa 

 the lion must of necessity be sought and attacked on 

 foot. In Somaliland ponies or camels can be em- 

 ployed, and much time and fatigue saved. A 

 favourite method of shooting in this country is to 

 sit up by a bait a live goat or donkey at night, 

 sheltered by a zariba of thorns. 



Lions, like human beings, vary in courage, and 

 occasionally even a wounded lion will turn tail and 

 bolt ignominiously. As a general rule, however, it 

 may be said that a lion, wounded or unwounded, is 

 a very " kittle " beast to meddle with. Few of 

 these animals will submit to be followed up without 

 attempting to retaliate. Mr. Selous once had a 

 singular adventure with two lions on an open plain 

 in the Mababi Veldt, Ngamiland. He had expended 

 all his cartridges, and his comrade's rifle had been 

 rendered for the time useless by the foresight being 

 knocked off. They encountered two male lions on 

 the middle of this wide flat, and tried with four 

 remaining cartridges to shoot one of the brutes with 

 the damaged rifle. One of the lions, a black-maned 



