i82 THE REDISCOVERED COUNTRY 



catch the beast's attention, and still leave me wind 

 enough to shoot straight. I had exchanged the .405 

 for the Springfield, for I expected the first shots would 

 be at fairly long range. Inside a few hundred yards 

 the thin bush ceased. We emerged on a tiny open 

 plain, grown sparsely with sapling-sized trees, on the 

 other side of which were more thickets, perhaps a 

 quarter mile away. Here the lion caught sight of us 

 and stopped abruptly. The lioness, too, came to a halt 

 and turned side wise the better to inspect us. They 

 were then about 150 yards distant. 



We stopped next one of the small saplings. Memba 

 Sasa moved up next my elbow. At what stage of the 

 game the rest of the men took to the trees I do not 

 know. Pretty promptly, I should think. At any rate, 

 those trees fairly rained niggers after the row was over. 



I waited a few moments to steady down after our 

 short run. The two beasts held their positions, side on, 

 staring back at us. When my heart had quit thumping 

 I took as close a shot as I could at the Hon, and hit him 

 very near the middle of the shoulder. With a snarling 

 growl he leaped straight up in the air, then turned to 

 bite savagely at the wound. The lioness did not stir. 



My attention concentrated on the wounded beast, I 

 threw back and forth the bolt of my weapon in order 

 to get in another shot before he came to himself. I 

 was on the point of taking aim when Memba Sasa 

 touched my elbow. 



