AFRICAN CAMP FIRES 



put a .405 bullet into her shoulder. Any other lion 

 I ever saw or heard of would in such circumstances 

 and at such a distance immediately have charged 

 home. She turned tail and ran away. I missed 

 her as she ran, then knocked her down with a third 

 shot. She got up again, but was immediately hit 

 by Captain Duir's .350 Magnum and brought to a 

 halt. The dogs, seeing her turn tail and hearing 

 our shots, had scrambled madly after her. We 

 dared not shoot again for fear of hitting one of them; 

 so we dashed rapidly into the grass and out the 

 other side. Before we could get to her, she had 

 sent Ruby flying through the air, and had then fallen 

 over dead. Ruby got off lucky with only a deep 

 gash the length of her leg. 



This was the only instance I experienced of a 

 wounded lion showing the white feather. She was, 

 however, only about three quarters grown, and was 

 suffering from diarrhoea. 



180 



