THE LION 249 



and fell backwards, but picked herself up and bolted in one 

 direction, whilst the lion and the other lioness went off in 

 another. These two I followed, and after a sharp run got up 

 to within about 80 yards of them, when the lioness turned 

 round, having evidently heard me. A shot at her head, 

 which was all I could see of her over the grass, missed 

 her clean, and off she went, leaving her lord and master 

 to take care of himself. As, however, I had lost sight of him 

 in the grass, my gun-bearers took up the spoor, whilst I kept a 

 look-out ahead, and after going a short way I saw him get up 

 from under a bush about 120 yards off and bound away across 

 my front, evidently very angry, judging from the noise he made. 

 With the right barrel I missed him clean, and with the left 

 merely broke his tail, but he only went a short way and lay down. 

 As I approached within 80 yards he stood up and growled, but 

 dropped down again so quickly that I could not get a shot, and 

 as he did this several times I told two of my gun-bearers to 

 stand still, so as to divert his attention from my own move- 

 ments, whilst I and my head gun -bearer crept round to a small 

 ant-heap on the right, which was also a little nearer to him, 

 from which position I hoped to get a shot at his shoulder. 

 He, however, saw me all the time, as there was very little covert, 

 and as I peeped over the top of the ant-heap, some 60 yards 

 from him, he again stood up and growled, but nothing more, 

 and as he had turned and was still facing me, I took a shot at 

 his head with a solid bullet, not wishing to smash his skull 

 more than I could help. This shot, which knocked him 

 down, hit him a little under the right eye, broke off two of his 

 upper molar teeth, and lodged in the flesh of the neck, but he 

 picked himself up, bolted to another bush and again lay down. 

 As he lay facing me, and crouching close to the ground, I 

 walked up, this time to within 40 yards of him, and sat down 

 to get another shot at his head ; but just as I did so he raised 

 his head, and not wishing to damage his skin more than pos- 

 sible with a -500 Express bullet, I took my -360 double Express 

 from the gun-bearer and fired at the centre of his throat, when 



