228 THE LAND OF THE LION 
mercifully to be met by an almost chance shot from H.’s 
heavy .450 which paralyzed her. No man cares to look 
back on a shave like that. 
Quite near the rock another affair came off this spring, 
which, but for the cool courage of a native askari, would 
have ended fatally. TWo men, Englishmen, who should 
never have gone after dangerous game, shot at a lion and 
missed it. It seems there was a lioness with the lion, which 
neither of them saw. The lion “‘cleared,”’ but round a 
bush the lioness suddenly came and came fast. Captain 
ran, and his gun-boy, Malim, once in my employ, a lad 
brave to rashness, standing his ground, was pulled down 
immediately. Now the most extraordinary thing about 
this true story is that, while serving with this same gallant 
officer, four months before, Malim had been slightly mauled 
by another lion. On this occasion (it happened near the 
Tana River) his bwana also ran away, and the boy’s life 
was only saved because a man now in my employ stood by 
the gunbearer and shot the lion, which was standing 
over his body, with a double-barrel smooth-bore, which he 
carried. After the second affair I found poor Malim in a 
bad way, still suffering from a severe mauling. Several 
men, now in my employ, were on these gentlemen’s sefari, 
and there is unfortunately no doubt whatever as to the 
accuracy of the facts. What induces some men to attempt 
dangerous game no one can say. That many who are 
constitutionally unfitted for its pursuit, do come out here 
and do attempt it, everyone in the country knows. But 
fortunately such a scandalous affair as this one is rare indeed. 
Ten miles due east of Sergoit rock, an easy and well- 
marked pathway worn by the Elgoa cattle climbs through 
the dense forest ridge to one of the gathering points of this 
tribe. This trail opens up to traveller or sportsman a com- 
pletely different country. A country that has as yet never 
been hunted by the white man. And at its very head there 
