132 THE LION. 



broadside. But this she carefully avoided to ex- 

 pose, presenting only her full front. I had given 

 Stofulus my Moore rifle, with orders to shoot her if 

 she should spring upon me, but on no account to 

 fire before me. Kleinberg was to stand ready to 

 hand me my Purdey rifle, in case the two-grooved 

 Dixon should not prove sufficient. My men, as yet, 

 had been steady, but they were in a precious stew, 

 their faces having assumed a ghastly paleness ; and 

 I had a painful feeling that I could place no reliance 

 on them. 



" Now, then, for it, neck or nothing ! She is 

 within sixty yards of us, and she keeps advancing. 

 We turned the horses' tails to her. I knelt on one 

 side, and, taking a steady aim at her breast, let fly. 

 The ball cracked loudly on her tawny hide, and 

 crippled her in the shoulder, upon which she 

 " charged" with an appalling roar, and in the 

 twinkling of an eye was in the midst of us. At 

 this moment Stofulus's rifle exploded in his hand, 

 and Kleinberg, whom I had ordered to stand ready 

 by me, danced about like a duck in a gale of wind. 

 The lioness sprang upon Colesberg, and fearfully 

 lacerated his ribs and haunches with her horrid 

 teeth and claws ; the worst wound was on his 

 haunch, which exhibited a sickening, yawning gash, 

 more than twelve inches long, almost laying bare 

 the very bone. I was very cool and steady, and 

 did not feel in the least degree nervous, having 

 fortunately great confidence in my own shooting ; 

 but I must confess, when the whole affair was over, 

 I felt that it was a very awful situation, and attended 



