224 AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 



two unwinking green eyes looking into mine. As she 

 could have reached me in two springs, perhaps in one, 

 I wished to shoot straight; but I had to avoid the rock 

 which covered the lower part of her face, and moreover I 

 fired a little too much to the left. The bullet went through 

 the side of her head, and in between the neck and shoulder, 

 inflicting a mortal, but not immediately fatal, wound. 

 However it knocked her off the little ledge on which she 

 was lying, and instead of charging she rushed uphill. We 

 promptly followed, and again clambered up the mass 

 of bowlders at the top. Peering over the one on which 

 I had climbed there was the lioness directly at its foot, not 

 twelve feet away, lying flat on her belly; I could only 

 see the aftermost third of her back. I at once fired into 

 her spine; with appalling grunts she dragged herself a few 

 paces downhill; and another bullet behind the shoulder 

 finished her. 



She was skinned as rapidly as possible; and just before 

 sundown we left the koppie. At its foot was a deserted 

 Masai cattle kraal and a mile from this was a shallow) 

 muddy pool, fouled by the countless herds of game that 

 drank thereat. Toward this we went, so that the thirsty 

 horses and men might drink their full. As we came near 

 we saw three rhinoceros leaving the pool. It was already 

 too dusk for good shooting, and we were rather relieved 

 when, after some inspection, they trotted off and stood at 

 a little distance in the plain. Our men and horses drank, 

 and then we began our ten miles' march through the dark- 

 ness to camp. One of Kermit's gun-bearers saw a puff 

 adder (among the most deadly of all snakes); with de- 

 lightful nonchalance he stepped on its head, and then held 

 it up for me to put my knife through its brain and neck. 

 I slipped it into my saddle pocket, where its blood stained 

 the pigskin cover of the little pocket Nibelungenlied which 

 that day I happened to carry. Immediately afterward 

 there was a fresh alarm from our friends the three rhinos; 

 dismounting, and crouching down, we caught the loom of 



