74 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. 



bush, fully expecting to find the brute dead, so, 

 listening for some moments and hearing no sounds, 

 we cautiously entered the dense growth and began 

 once more to follow up his spoor, which revealed 

 that he had lost a considerable quantity of blood and 

 appeared to be trailing one of his hind legs. 

 We had not made more than thirty yards of wary 

 progress, when Simba, who was following closely 

 behind me, touched me on the shoulder and pointed 

 to a spot to my left front. Straining my eyes for 

 a few seconds, I could just discern the lion's tawny 

 form, crouching absolutely motionless about twelve 

 yards away, his head between his paws, his eyes 

 gleaming in the shade and gazing steadily in our 

 direction. I raised my rifle quickly to my shoulder, 

 but without giving me time to aim the brute charged 

 me with a vicious snarl ! I promptly fired, the 

 bullet striking him on the right side of the head 

 and smashing his shoulder. Unfortunately, with 

 the exception of the first two cartridges that I had 

 used, I had only brought solid bullets with me, and 

 though my third shot knocked him down, he was 

 up again in an instant and came on as quickly as 

 ever. When within five yards of me, I gave him 

 the contents of the second barrel, the bullet smash- 

 ing through his jaw and missing his heart by a 

 fraction. The impact brought him down and Simba, 

 instantly raising his spear, drove it with all his 



