A DAY ON THE ISIOLA 



try to get on a somewhat demoralized horse in a 

 frantic hurry, when all your friends were getting far- 

 ther away every minute, and so lessening your 

 chances of being in the fun? I began to under- 

 stand perfectly B.'s remarks of a moment before. 

 However, on I scrambled, and soon overtook the 

 hunt. 



We dodged in and out of bushes, and around and 

 over holes. Every few moments we would catch 

 glimpse of one of those silently bounding lions, and 

 then we would let out a yell. Also every few mo- 

 ments one or the other of us would go down in a 

 heap, and would scramble up and curse, and remount 

 hastily. Billy had better luck. She had no gun, 

 and belonged a little in the rear anyway, but was 

 coming along game as a badger for all that. 



My own horse had the legs of the others quite 

 easily, and for that reason I was ahead far enough to 

 see the magnificent sight of five lions sideways on, 

 all in a row, standing in the grass gazing at me with 

 a sort of calm and impersonal dignity. I wheeled 

 my horse immediately so as to be ready in case of 

 a charge, and yelled to the others to hurry up. 

 While I sat there, they moved slowly off one after the 

 other, so that by the time the men had come, the 

 lions had gone. We now had no difficulty in run- 

 ning into them again. Once more my better ani- 



183 



