WILD LIFE ACROSS THE WORLD 



Many and interesting were the yarns that were told. 

 One day I happened to be talking of lions and the 

 queer things they did. I was saying you never knew 

 what the next lion would do when you tackled 

 him. Selous agreed, and then related the following 

 story : — 



He was out on horseback early one morning and 

 galloped up a lion, finally bringing him to a standstill 

 some hundred yards away. That is a time when 

 you both look at and properly measure each other. 

 Dismounting and letting the horse go, Selous took 

 careful aim, but missed. The lion promptly charged, 

 and came so quickly Selous had not time to get in 

 another cartridge. In those days he was using an old 

 Sneider. On came the lion, and as a sort of protection 

 Selous unconsciously raised the rifle and held it across 

 his chest with both hands. The lion was on him in 

 a flash, and Selous expected to be knocked out, but 

 to his amazement the beast went full tilt past him, 

 touching his leg with his mane, and did not stop until 

 he had covered about sixty yards, when he turned 

 round and faced the hunter again. Selous had time to 

 put in another cartridge, and this time his aim was 

 not only careful but accurate, for the lion was killed 

 instantly. 



Jack Richardson had made a business of elephant 

 hunting, which he declared could be made profitable. 

 He told us many stories of his own adventures. 



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