LION-HUNTING AND LIONS 287 



but they had headed in another direction and escaped ; 

 while, as for a rhinoceros, the net had yet to be made that 

 would stand up before his great carcass. Some days 

 later, when Baker's share of the hunt had all been eaten 

 by his men, he got leave to go with a few natives and 

 shoot what was necessary to supply his camp. But the 

 animals were still so wild after the fire that it was im- 

 possible to get near enough for a shot, and at last the 

 owners of the land proposed that they should fire the 

 grass to windward, as before. 



This time Baker took care to choose a position with 

 some swampy ground in front, so that when the fire 

 reached him it would be stopped, and he would no longer 

 have the smoke blown into his eyes. 



Again, antelopes were more numerous than anything 

 else, but none of them came within reach of Baker's own 

 gun. After waiting a little, however, he saw a fine 

 specimen moving quietly towards him down a bank into 

 a dip, and made ready for a shot. The antelope was just 

 in the act of jumping down from the slope into the 

 hollow when he almost tumbled against a huge lion, which 

 had come up from the other side, and was flying before 

 the fire. Both lion and antelope were so much startled 

 by the shock that they bounded away in opposite direc- 

 tions, the lion taking a line through the tall grass, which 

 would bring him straight in front of Baker. 



For a few minutes all was silent, Baker leaning 

 against the ant-hill, with one gun in readiness and another 

 by his side, and the two black boys crouching on the 

 ground at his feet. 



Suddenly a rustling was heard in the grass, and all 

 three waited breathlessly till the head of a lioness 

 appeared, coming slowly but steadily towards the spot 

 where the two boys were sitting. 



A ball in her chest stopped her proceedings for a 

 moment, and she rolled over three times, uttering terrific, 

 roars all the while, Then she got up, apparently none 



