248 THE LAND OF THE LION 
for such work. In accuracy, good sighting and in weight 
they are very inferior to the Stevens; moreover, they are 
almost impossible to keep really clean, and once foul a .22 
won’t shoot well. A .25 is much easier to keep clean. I 
fear it will seem to some that I have written on lion hunting 
with a degree of assurance that ill becomes one who has only 
hunted this grandest of all game for little more than a year. 
I may not be able to clear myself from the charge. But 
I can say at least, in extenuation of my fault, if fault there is, 
that I have been privileged to know very well indeed one 
or two men whose experience of lion hunting has been very 
extended. I have submitted what I put down to their 
judgment, and have the satisfaction of knowing that I have 
written nothing with which they do not thoroughly agree. 
I had one more rather remarkable ride before leaving 
this beautiful country. It was after a cheetah. Now as 
everyone knows there are few animals that can put up 
the pace that this hunting leopard can. You see them 
oftener than you do leopards, which, though they are quite 
numerous, are seldom seen. The cheetah seem to know 
their own powers and do not seem to mind showing their 
yellow-black spotted beauty even in the daytime. They 
run their prey down, and trotting across the open veldt 
you sometimes come on them. Unless well mounted you 
may save yourself and your pony the trouble of a race. 
And unless the ground is very open, no matter how fast 
your mount is, their pursuit is hopeless. 
As H. and I were returning southward from our elephant 
hunt on the Turquell, we sighted a mother and two half- 
grown cubs. There was a long stretch of good galloping 
ground, and gallop we did for all we were worth. The 
cubs soon took to the grass and our men following secured 
one of them, getting a good scratching as they did 
so. The full grown mother gave us a tremendous run, 
fully three miles, and then stopped. I noticed a strange 
