90 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



after we were in position we heard the distant shouts of 

 the beaters as they came toward us, covering the crest and 

 the tops of the slopes on both sides. It was rather dis- 

 concerting to find how much better Hill's eyes were than 

 mine. He saw everything first, and it usually took some 

 time before he could make me see it. In this first drive 

 nothing came my way except some mountain reedbuck 

 does, at which I did not shoot. But a fine male cheetah 

 came to Kermit, and he bowled it over in good style as 

 it ran. 



Then the beaters halted, and waited before resuming 

 their march until the guns had gone clear round and es- 

 tablished themselves at the base of the farther end of the 

 hill. This time Kermit, who was a couple of hundred 

 yards from me, killed a reedbuck and a steinbuck. Sud- 

 denly Hill said, "Lion," and endeavored to point it out to 

 me, as it crept cautiously among the rocks on the steep 

 hill-side, a hundred and fifty yards away. At first I could 

 not see it; finally I thought I did and fired, but, as it proved, 

 at a place just above him. However, it made him start 

 up, and I immediately put the next bullet behind his shoul- 

 ders; it was a fatal shot; but, growling, he struggled 

 down the hill, and I fired again and killed him. It was 

 not much of a trophy, however, turning out to be a half- 

 grown male. 



We lunched under a tree, and then arranged for an- 

 other beat. There was a long, wide valley, or rather a slight 

 depression in the ground for it was only three or four feet 

 below the general level in which the grass grew tall, as 

 the soil was quite wet. It was the scene of Percival's 

 adventure with the lion that chased him. Hill and I sta- 

 tioned ourselves on one side of this valley or depression, 

 toward the upper end; Pease took Kermit to the opposite 

 side; and we waited, our horses some distance behind us. 

 The beaters were put in at the lower end, formed a line 

 across the valley, and beat slowly toward us, making a 

 great noise. 



