THE LIONS OF TANGANYIKA 93 



Toward some large hills, at the other end of this 

 valley, we came to a deep donga which we followed 

 for a while, hoping to find a spring. It was excellent 

 Hon country. As we walked along, every so often a 

 reedbuck would spring up almost at our feet, and as 

 these animals are nearly the same color as Felis leo 

 under some light conditions, we received a few thrills. 



We had almost neared the end of the donga when I 

 came unexpectedly upon a fine specimen of Tanganyika 

 yellow-maned Hon. He and a Honess were having an 

 afternoon siesta beneath a bushy thorn tree, whose 

 shade made an inky-black spot in a landscape of daz- 

 zHng white heat. 



I was almost upon them before making the discovery, 

 my eyes being unable to penetrate into the blackness 

 where they were lying and watching my approach, but 

 the tips of four ears above the short grass caused me 

 to stop and throw off the safety of my Remington 

 Springfield. I knew two of the yellow cats were there, 

 a male and a female, but what I did not know was 

 whether they would run toward me or away. As I 

 stood waiting, the huge male slowly arose and faced 

 me with his tail wliipping from side to side, the usual 

 sign of a charge. Then the Honess sprang up and 

 bolted toward a donga at my right, some hundred and 

 twenty yards distant. Seeing his mate thus in flight 

 may have changed Mr. Lion's mind about the charge, 

 for now he followed her at a slow trot, pausing just 

 before entering the donga to take a last look at the 

 strange two-legged creature confronting him. In that 

 instant I drew a quick bead and fired. He dropped in 

 his tracks as if struck by lightning, and the sound of 

 the bullet's impact told me he was hard hit. 



