252 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



the riding method, and by their unique knowledge of 

 the habits and haunts of lion. 



Lions are very conservative in their selection of 

 homes. Once a lion has chosen his lair, by no means 

 the most obvious in the neighbourhood, he will stick 

 very closely to it. What is more, if his lair be driven 

 and the occupants killed, it is not improbable that their 

 place will almost immediately be taken by others. 

 When, therefore, a real lion expert discovers traces of 

 lions, in a locality with which he is acquainted, either by 

 hearing them at night or seeing their spoor, he will say 

 at once that they are lying either in such and such a 

 gully or on such and such a hill-side. 



Perhaps to the ordinary settler chance still affords 

 the most usual method through which he may become 

 the possessor of a lion skin. It may be that one 

 evening, when returning from the pursuit of his 

 dinner, he will turn the corner round a bush and find 

 himself face to face with the quarry for which he has 

 longed so earnestly, but for whose closer aquaintance he 

 now feels suddenly somewhat less disposed. Or, 

 again, one morning when about to set out the day's 

 work a native will stroll in to say that he has just seen 

 a nice party of lions take refuge in a gully. While 

 it is said with more or less truth that every lion- 

 hunter will in the end be mauled if he persists long 

 enough in the sport, a larger percentage of accidents 

 takes place among irresponsible and inexperienced 

 shooters, more especially when several such spirits are 

 banded together. Two is, perhaps, the best number 

 of guns to shoot a lion, though it is run close by 

 one ; beyond two every gun adds to the chance of an 

 accident. This is partly so because each man is 

 apt to vie with his neighbour in daring, not to say 



