With Flashlight and Rifle -* 



there, and had a large number of Askaris under his 

 command. 



I was interested in examining the skin of the lioness, 

 and we agreed to set forth on our shoot early next 

 morning. This we did. On crossing a small stream, 

 quite an insignificant one in the dry season, after we had 

 been several hours on our way towards Mount Nairobi, 

 I pitched camp and ordered some of the men to bring 

 firewood. The getting of this took about four hours, as 

 none is to be got on the grassy Athi plains. Corporal 

 Ellis was against our halting here, for, in his opinion, we 

 should be in danger from the lions during the night. 

 I held firmly to my decision, however, confessedly still 

 sceptical as to so many lions really being forthcoming. 

 Ellis, five men of our following, and I now made a little 

 detour to follow the course of the stream, the upper 

 part of which was covered for some miles by scanty 

 growth. 



On the plain we saw a number of gnus {Connochtztes 

 albojubatus], Grant's gazelle (Gazella gra ////), Coke's harte- 

 beest {Bubalis cokei), Thomson's gazelle (Gazella thoinsoni}, 

 zebras, and ostriches ; but they were all very shy. 



When we turned back towards camp, still following 

 the river with an unfavourable wind blowing I must 

 say I was not sanguine of our having any sport ; but we 

 had been only a quarter of an hour on the way, two of 

 our party on one side of the stream, we ourselves on the 

 other, when suddenly a cry, " Simba ! Simba ! Simba 

 Bwana ! Kubwa Sana!" ("A lion, master! A big 

 lion ! ") rang in our ears. The men on the other bank, 



^60 



