THE "MAN-EATER" 237 



had caused the other woman to scream in terror-stricken sym- 

 pathy. This comical incident closed the evening. We calmed 

 and reassured the women, and then returned to our respective 

 huts. 



On my sixth journey — we had pitched our tents at "Campi- 

 ya-Simba," i.e. "the camp of lions" — we saw four animals in 

 the distance, a mile or two off. No one could make out what 

 they were. I came to the conclusion they must be wart-hogs, 

 because the body seemed unusually long and the legs compara- 

 tively short. As far as the hills the treeless ground was covered 

 with short grass, only here and there a patch of grass three feet 

 high would dot the undulating surface. Accompanied by my 

 gun-bearer, I tried to get as near as I could before attempting a 

 shot. The place was too open to make stalking possible or 

 practicable. Three of the animals trotted off to the left, one 

 went off to the right in the direction of our camp. This one I 

 followed. I felt more than ever convinced it was a wild boar, as 

 it constantly placed its head near the ground and only occasion- 

 ally raised it to look at us as we followed it. Our persistent 

 pursuit seemed to annoy it, and it went to hide in a patch of 

 high grass. 



With my rifie ready, I cautiously approached the patch, 

 but as I could not make out where the animal might be, I 

 said to my gun-bearer : " I have lost it." The patch of grass 

 extended perhaps for a quarter of a mile. Suddenly a long tail 

 switched upward, and instantly a huge lion raised himself up 

 and gave a fierce deep growl. Up went my rifle and I fired. 

 The lion was fully two hundred yards off ; the bullet almost 

 grazed its head. The act was automatic ; the shock of unex- 

 pectedly facing a lion must have paralysed volition, or I would 

 most certainly not have risked at that distance my only shot, on 

 which the life of the two of us might have depended. 



This brings to my mind a passage in a medical lecture I 

 once attended. The lecturer, to impress the medical students 

 with the proximity of certain nerve-centres in the brain, used 

 " Eve and the apple " as an illustration. " This is the centre 

 for sight," he said, — " Eve saw the apple " — " and this is the 

 centre for movement of the arms — Eve stretched out her hand 

 for it." In my case the sight of the lion prompted the de- 

 fensive motion of my arms. Fortunately for me, the lion 

 turned and bounded off. I reloaded my rifle, and hurried 



