272 LARGE GAME. chap. v. 



being ready quicker, got to the door and fired the shot I 

 have mentioned. 



We had all grown so accustomed to the brute's pre- 

 sence that, tired as every one was with their hard work 

 on the previous day after buffalo, sleep overpowered 

 them again in half an hour. I had, however, been out 

 and seen that no meat had gone, and had put some wood 

 on the fires, and coming back, I waited till the hut was 

 quiet, and then taking my gun and blanket, I lay down 

 in the entrance to watch for its return. Judging by the 

 past it would certainly do so, probably as soon as the fires 

 got dim, but the flickering flame had quite died away, 

 and I caught myself dozing at intervals before anything 

 happened. I suppose my eyes, tired with watching, must 

 have wandered from the place, for the first thing I 

 remember is seeing a dim outline standing where before 

 all had been darkness. It was the lioness ; and my heart 

 thumped against my ribs like a steam-hammer as I saw 

 her almost imperceptibly glide forward to the tree, and 

 raising herself attempt to seize a piece of meat. This 

 action enabled me to see a faint glimmer of white under 

 her, and I put the sight as near on it as I could, and fired. 

 I have often heard lions roar with rage or pain, but never 

 anything like this one ; the very ground seemed to shake 

 while she flung herself against the roof of the hut, making 

 the men inside tremble while she fairly bellowed forth her 

 rage. She next sprang on to my unfinished hut, and then 

 over the fence, where her furious roarings gradually toned 

 down into low mutterings, and at last died away. 



Before this I had gone outside, where I was joined by 

 one or two of the more plucky hunters, and had piled 



