196 THE LION. 



owing to the intervening bushes, and clouds of dust 

 raised by the lion's lashing his tail against the 

 ground I was unable to see his head, while to aim 

 at any other part would have been madness, I re- 

 frained from firing. Whilst intently watching his 

 every motion, he suddenly bounded towards me; 

 but whether it was owing to his not perceiving 

 me, partially concealed as I was in the long grass, 

 or to my instinctively throwing my body on one 

 side, or to his miscalculating the distance in 

 making his last spring, he went clear over me, and 

 alighted on the ground three or four paces beyond. 

 Instantly, and without rising, I wheeled round on 

 my knee, and discharged my second barrel ; and, as 

 his broadside was then towards me, I lodged a ball 

 in his shoulder, which it completely smashed. On 

 receiving my second fire, he made another and more 

 determined rush at me ; but, owing to his disabled 

 state, I happily avoided him. It was, however, 

 only by a hair's breadth, for he passed me within 

 arm's length. He afterwards scrambled into the 

 thick cover beyond, where, as night was then ap- 

 proaching, I did not deem it prudent to pursue 

 him. 



At an early hour on the next morning, how- 

 ever, we followed his " spoor," and soon came to 

 the spot where he had passed the night. The 

 sand here was one patch of blood; and the 

 but-hes immediately about were broken, and beaten 

 down by his weight, as he had staggered to and 

 fro in his effort to get on his legs again. Strange 

 to say, however, we here lost all clue to the beast. 



