Untrodden Paths 27 



round the scrub for a while, but as no trails could be discerned 

 leading out of it, we concluded that the lion must still be lying 

 there, only a few yards away from us. What was to be done ? 

 Ordering the Askari to get to the other side of the scrub and try 

 to scare the lion out by yelling, I took up my position just a little 

 way off. One of the Askari, a Masai, who, after his soldiering 

 experiences, was not particularly enamoured of peaceful pursuits 

 — a splendid, grand-looking fellow like all his warlike race, and 

 my constant companion in all my roamings — approached the 

 scrub in most fearless fashion in order to ascertain what it 

 concealed. On a sudden the blood-curdling roar of a lion 

 resounded three times in quick succession, and the beast sprang 

 out with flattened ears and gaping jaws right among us. We all 

 fell back, except the Masai, who was a few paces off on my left. 

 Shouting aloud and mad with excitement, he stretched out his 

 left arm, in which he held his rifle, against the lion. But the 

 beast seized him in the twinkling of an eye. One paw smashed 

 down on the arm, whilst the jaws buried themselves in the hips 

 of the unhappy man. The next moment they were rolling 

 together like a ball on the ground. At the same instant I raised 

 my gun to my shoulder and gave the lion a bullet at five 

 paces ; but in the hurry and excitement the aim was bad, and 

 the beast with two great bounds fled back growling into the 

 scrub before I had time to think of a second shot. 



The Masai lay on the ground streaming with blood, but had 

 sustained no really serious injuries ; his left arm, into which the 

 lion had dug his claw, was rather severely mauled, and the left 

 side bore the scars of the bite for many a long day. I hastened 

 to bandage the nearly senseless man as best I could with my 

 handkerchief, so as to staunch the flow of blood. A draught of 

 water, coupled with the incredible stoicism of the black man in 

 the face of wounds and injuries, enabled him to recuperate so 

 quickly that he was able to sustain the five-hour return journey 

 to the camp without collapsing. 



Shortly after, whilst engaged on a search for the wounded 

 lion, I was very much struck by the pluck evinced by the black 



