188 SPORT IN THE EASTERN SUDAN 



merely a bit of play, especially when she began to 

 advance once more ; but glancing at the goat, I saw 

 that what had actually occurred was that a much 

 larger lioness had stalked the wretched goat from the 

 other side, and seized and killed it. As this lioness 

 offered the easiest of broadside shots, I took advantage 

 of the opportunity, whereupon she galloped off growl- 

 ing into the long grass. The only effect of the report 

 on the smaller lioness was to cause her to sit down 

 10 yards to my right, whereupon I aligned the rifle 

 and pulled, but had only had time to cock one 

 barrel. Having remedied this, and fired, the second 

 lioness bounded off to my right growling and obviously 

 hard hit. I then resumed my interrupted meal, and 

 all my men came running back to see what had 

 happened. I sent them off again, and just before it 

 got dark was amazed to see a third lioness emerge 

 from the grass in the same place as the first one. 

 She would not, however, approach the goat, and 

 whilst I was aligning the rifle, and making up 

 my mind whether to take a risky shot in the 

 bad light, she moved off, and I never got another 

 chance, although after dark I heard lions grunting on 

 both sides of me. Towards midnight I awoke suddenly, 

 and by the newly risen moon imagined that I saw a 

 fourth lioness extended on the goat. I had no time 

 to put on my glasses, and fired first one barrel and 

 then the other, only to find to my disgust that I had 



