THREE LIONS AND NO RIFLE! 



country in fairly long grass, we heard a slight commotion ; 

 but as we had previously passed by some stray hunting 

 dogs, I was not prepared, in spite of the spoor behind us, 

 for what appeared presently. 



On the path not more than twenty yards ahead of 

 us there stood three lions in a bunch. Two of them were 

 full grown, but the third was a cub not much larger than 

 a dog. On seeing us, they pulled up short , and regarded us 

 with twitching mouths and tails swinging slowly around 

 their bodies as the flies worried them. Surveying us 

 sternly for some seconds, the male gave a low growl, 

 then, sniffing the ground, he led off into the grass on the 

 left of the path, while the other, against which nestled 

 the cub, after regarding us intently, followed slowly and 

 majestically after her mate. The whole thing did not 

 last much more than ten seconds, but it seemed an 

 eternity before I breathed again freely. Except for 

 Monica's spear we were unarmed, as I had left the guns 

 behind in camp. It was plain by the way the brutes 

 acted that they were on a game trail, and to this alone 

 I attribute our safety. What a picture they had formed, 

 standing together with the cub between their legs and 

 frolicking like a kitten. The superior swaggering gait 

 with which they disappeared was, indeed, eloquent of 

 the proud position that these beasts hold in the animal 

 kingdom. Needless to say, the return journey to camp 

 was not delayed. 



Lions are as much afraid of man as man is of them, 

 and with the exception of the man-eater, will seldom attack 

 unless wantonly irritated. 



I heard them often enough when passing through 

 Uganda, and at times saw them, but I was never attacked. 

 Some few years since, however, when the Uganda marine 

 and Nile flotilla headquarters were at Wadelai, eleven 

 natives were carried off by lions in one night ! 



They are generally to be found in small groups. I 



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