THE EAHAD RIVER 195 



small villages, and after leaving Shammam we shall find 

 no more villages until we reach the Binder, possibly a 

 month hence. I then went off with the three shikaris 

 and made a machan in a likely-looking glade near 

 where I had seen the lion-tracks. Saw half a dozen 

 reedbuck, including a moderate male, but very wild. 

 Also saw ariel and rufifrons, but did not want the for- 

 mer, and the latter gave no easy chances. Bought six 

 kids as baits for lions, and agreed to pay Abdulla 1 

 per mensem for looking after them. In the evening pro- 

 ceeded to machan. Saw gazelle and oribi, but did 

 not shoot. Finally jumped a good bushbuck, but was 

 unable to get a shot. The kid did not call well, but the 

 men had hardly been gone ten minutes before I noticed 

 a whitish object in the grass opposite some 60 yards off. 

 The appearance was familiar, and when a head moved 

 round as it were on a pivot just above it, I was 

 certain that a lion or leopard was stalking the goat, 

 and presently I got a broadside view of a lioness. She 

 was in no hurry to approach and the light was failing ; 

 but she gradually came on towards the goat, which 

 did not see her, as she kept the big stake -between 

 it and herself, and finally sat down 30 yards off. I 

 decided that a longer shot by day, even with the 

 somewhat inaccurate -500 Express, was better than 

 a close shot by night, and when she looked aside at 

 some reedbuck that were challenging her, I aligned 

 the rifle and fired, when she fell without a movement. 



