218 WANDERINGS AND MEMORIES 



position on an ant-heap, and we waited till he should 

 advance within closer range. However, he lay 

 down in the long yellow grass, and we could see 

 him yawn with great open jaws in a bored manner. 

 Then he got up and turned as if to go back to the 

 jungle, so I had to take the shot at once. I fired 

 at his shoulder, and by great good luck knocked 

 him over at 208 yards. 



" He rose, turned about, and came on only a few 

 yards when I hit him again with the "416 expanding 

 bullet, and to my joy I saw he was done for. 



" As a precaution Judd fired two shots into the 

 bush in case the females thought of coming at us, 

 for it is a well-known fact that the lioness frequently 

 charges when the lion is down, although he does not 

 do so for a lioness ! 



" It was quite exciting work, as the lion was half 

 lying with his forepart up and only a few yards from 

 the edge of the bush. At 100 yards I hit him again, 

 and finally, to avoid damaging the skin, gave him 

 a finishing shot in the neck at fifteen yards with the 

 light rifle. 



" It is quite an impressive sight to see the ' King 

 of Beasts ' breathe his last, and much more satis- 

 factory to kill him in the open than from behind 

 a fence or with lamps at night. This lion turned 

 out to be a fully -grown young beast, but smaller 

 than the lioness killed this morning, and practically 

 maneless, as is usual in bush. 



" Of carnivorous animals that I have seen skinned 

 this lion had the most repulsive smell — quite 

 different from the antelopes. 



" Now that I have succeeded in getting a lion 

 and a lioness, I am not very keen to kill more — 



