THE LAST FRONTIER 



We then remembered B., and shouted to him that 

 all was over. He and the other men wriggled in to 

 where we were lying. He made this distance in 

 about fifteen seconds. It had taken us nearly an 

 hour! 



We had the lioness dragged out into the open. 

 She was not an especially large beast, as compared 

 to most of the others I killed later, but at that time 

 she looked to me about as big as they made them. 

 As a matter of fact she was quite big enough, for 

 she stood three feet two inches at the shoulder 

 measure that against the wall and was seven 

 feet and six inches in length. My first bullet had 

 hit her leg, and the last had reached her heart. 



Every one shook me by the hand. The gun- 

 bearers squatted about the carcass, skilfully removing 

 the skin to an undertone of curious crooning that 

 every few moments broke out into one or two bars 

 of a chant. As the body was uncovered, the men 

 crouched about to cut off little pieces of fat. These 

 they rubbed on their foreheads and over their chests, 

 to make them brave, they said, and cunning, like 

 the lion. 



We remounted and took up our interrupted jour- 

 ney to camp. It was a little after two, and the heat 

 was at its worst. We rode rather sleepily, for the 

 reaction from the high tension of excitement had 



120 



