VIEW NEAR THE KITUMBIX VOLCANO 



XVII 

 Lions 



EQUATORIAL East Africa is without doubt as rich 

 in lions as any other part of the continent. 

 Nevertheless, the prospect of encountering them is, from 

 many causes, slighter than used to be the case in South 

 Africa, and still is in other regions in which horses can live. 

 In Somaliland, for instance, the lion is hunted on horse- 

 back, so that he can be followed until he is tired out, and 

 can then be shot. In South Africa they used to hunt lions 

 with dogs. Neither practice is possible in Equatorial 

 East Africa, as horses cannot live there, and the dogs 



o 



are useless for this purpose. 



The hunter has therefore to depend upon being 

 favoured by circumstances often to find himself unarmed 

 just when his chance has come ! Or else he must have 

 recourse to nocturnal expeditions a method which, gene- 

 rally speaking, is not to my taste. On these night 

 "shoots" you either fire from some eminence or out of 



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