OH, SHOOT! 



battered and scratched, but the camera hadn't 

 a mark on it. He set it up and took a few 

 feet. 



"It's too thick to rope her from the ground," 

 Fred declared. 



"Let me shoot her," I urged, but my sug- 

 gestion was scorned. Both Fred and Ambrose 

 assured me that this was a lion-busting, not a 

 lion-shooting exhibition. 



"She's all rested up. I dunno's she'll 

 stand for us to climb the tree," Ambrose 

 opined. "But we can try. Well, who wants 

 to go first?" 



Honesty compels me to state that Ambrose's 

 invitation presented no attractions for me. I 

 dare say I could bring myself to rope a lion, 

 a very young and playful lion with short 

 claws and milk teeth, although I would much 

 prefer to shake the tree and let it fall out, but 

 this animal had fangs and tusks and wisdom 

 teeth. Moreover, it had done nothing to me 

 to warrant roping. Then, too, I reasoned, 

 lions were scarce and there was no certainty 

 that there would be enough to go around if I 

 selfishly monopolized this one. Gently but 

 firmly I declined the proffered honor. When 

 the boys became insistent, I reminded them 



186 



