THE LAND OF FOOTPRINTS 



ridge prove defective. So may one fall downstairs, 

 or bump one's head in the dark. Sufficient fore- 

 thought and alertness and readiness would go far 

 in either case to prevent bad results. 



The wounded beast, of course, offers the most in- 

 teresting problem to the lion hunter. If it sees the 

 hunter, it is likely to charge him at once. If hit 

 while making off, however, it is more apt to take 

 cover. Then one must summon all his good sense 

 and nerve to get it out. No rules can be given for 

 this; nor am I trying to write a text book for lion 

 hunters. Any good lion hunter knows a lot more 

 about it than I do. But always a man must keep 

 in mind three things: that a lion can hide in cover 

 so short that it seems to the novice as though a 

 jack-rabbit would find scant concealment there; 

 that he charges like lightning, and that he can spring 

 about fifteen feet. This spring, coming unexpectedly 

 from an unseen beast, is about impossible to avoid. 

 Sheer luck may land a fatal shot; but even then the 

 lion will probably do his damage before he dies. The 

 rush from a short distance a good quick shot ought 

 to be able to cope with. 



Therefore the wise hunter assures himself of at 

 least twenty feet — preferably more — of neutral 

 zone all about him. No matter how long it takes, 

 he determines absolutely that the lion is not 



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