WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD 



after rigging ourselves in the orthodox Nairobi hunting 

 costume — I have no love for fancy dresses, especially 

 when there is a chance of having a lioness as your 

 partner — we swallowed some very hot coffee, hired a 

 couple of gharrys, and started off. We were pretty 

 cold and stiff when the gharrys set us down at the end 

 of the track, but a native whom we met revived us by 

 saying that he had seen the lions that very morning. 

 As for my own feelings, I will say nothing, but my 

 companion has since confessed — it was his first lion 

 hunt — that he hoped most fervently that that native 

 was lying, or, alternatively, that the lions had had the 

 sense to make themselves scarce. 



However, we soon picked up what was undoubtedly 

 the fresh spoor of a big old lion. Also, we found that 

 we were not the only hunters on the warpath, for a 

 lady armed cap-a-pie accompanied by a Buffalo Bill 

 sort of gentleman joined us, a fact which cheered 

 my companion, who whispered that if the lion had 

 any sense of humour he would certainly prefer the 

 new-comer. 



However, though we spent hours searching for the 

 animals, spooring them with infinite care, it all ended 

 in the entirely prosaic remark : " It 's about time 

 we went and had some lunch." 



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