THE STORY OF AN OUTING 



We were at the top of a ridge marking one side of a 

 valley, and it was about two miles across to the top of 

 the high ground marking the other side. The inevitable 

 donga, always difficult to negotiate in a hurry, traversed 

 the valley. After a little we saw three lions two lions 

 and a lioness several hundred yards distant, making 

 across the valley. We started in hot pursuit, but when 

 we reached the donga all but one had disappeared over 

 the sky-line. The temptation was great, and I could 

 not help shooting three times with my Remington with 

 point-blank sights, as there was no time for readjustments. 

 It was all useless; I replenished my magazine, and, pull- 

 ing our horses' heads so high that they could not see the 

 ground, we spurred them over the brink into the donga, 

 gave them their heads, and under the excitement they 

 made the opposite banks beautifully. Then commenced 

 a long mile up-grade. What we wished to do was to 

 ride round the lions and bring them to bay, and we 

 must husband our horses' strength in order to have a 

 spurt in them when it came to the final dash. A lion 

 confronted will not turn back nor turn to one side, and 

 will charge presently. It is an issue joined and you 

 are sure of him. 



A lion's legs are very short; he travels close to the 

 ground and trots he seems simply to glide. When they 

 went over the sky-line they probably thought the danger 

 past and halted, or slowed down at least. We reached 

 the height, and after going about three hundred yards 

 saw one of the lions. We tried to round him up, but we 

 could not gain upon him; our horses were all in, so 

 Kirkwood took my horse by the bridle; I slid off to 

 shoot. A mad gallop in tall grass, where neither horse nor 



