238 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



after it, eager to shoot it, and to secure such a splendid brute. 

 But though it seemed to be merely trotting, and my gun- 

 bearer and I were running, as if it were a racing match, the lion 

 got steadily farther away and finally disappeared beyond the 

 undulating ridges. When we reached camp, I was greeted by 

 my companion with the remark, that a lion had passed in 

 sight of the camp and had disappeared in the scrub near us ; 

 that he had gone to look for it, but had seen no trace of it. 



The whole caravan were greatly excited, saying the lion 

 was crouching in the long grass, and would wait till dusk, and 

 then pay us an unpleasant visit. Having rested myself, I went 

 once more after the lion ; but I followed a different plan to 

 what my companion had tried. As the lion had crossed the 

 caravan road, I went to track him, instead of looking for him 

 at haphazard. I found the footprints, and several of my men 

 now systematically tracked them for me. The trail led down- 

 wards to a grassy dell. Just then a couple of partridges flew 

 up and settled in a patch of grass on the higher ground. I 

 exchanged my rifle for a gun, and thought I might as well 

 bag a partridge for supper, whilst my men went tracking to- 

 wards the dell. The boy who had carried the gun accom- 

 panied me, though the gun was now in my own hands. 



As I skirted the edge of the grass-patch, I noticed a peculiar 

 opening at one spot, as if a longish animal had entered there. 

 I said to my boy : " I am sure the lion has passed here," but 

 I never dreamt the lion my men were tracking down-hill could 

 at that moment be so near to me near the summit of the 

 hill. I had passed the spot half-a-dozen yards, when curiosity 

 prompted me to go back and to have another look at it. Balan- 

 cing myself on my left foot, with my fowling-piece held uncon- 

 cernedly in my hands, I was leisurely turning the grass this way 

 and that way with my right foot, when the same huge lion, 

 just as it did on the former occasion, except that it was now 

 only a few yards from me, sprang up, lashed its tail furiously, 

 and growled or rather snarled at me. My boy was paralysed 

 with fear. I could see how both his hands went up and his 

 fingers curled inwards, and then he gave a yell of terror. As 

 on the previous occasion, the sudden shock deprived me of the 

 sensation of fear, but automatically my hands endeavoured to 

 shoot back the safety-bolt of my gun and to get it ready for 

 defence. 



