ADVENTURES ALONG THE TANA 



ing about fifty yards the other side of a small solit- 

 ary bush, and the bush grew on the sloping 

 bank of the slight depression that represented 

 the dry stream bottom. We could duck down 

 into the depression, sneak along it, come up back 

 of the little bush, and shoot from very close 

 range. Leaving the gunbearers, we proceeded to 

 do this. 



So quietly did we move that when we rose up back 

 of the little bush a lioness lying under it with her 

 cub was as surprised as we were! 



Indeed, I do not think she knew what we were, for 

 instead of attacking, she leaped out the other side 

 the bush, uttering a startled snarl. At once she 

 w^hirled to come at us, but the brief respite had 

 allowed us to recover our own scattered wits. As 

 she turned I caught her broadside through the heart. 

 Although this shot knocked her down, F. immedi- 

 ately followed it with another for safety's sake. 

 We found that actually we had just missed stepping 

 on her tail! 



The cub we caught a glimpse of. He was about 

 the size of a setter dog. We tried hard to find him, 

 but failed. The lioness was an unusually large one, 

 probably about as big as the female ever grows, 

 measuring nine feet six inches in length, and three 

 feet eight inches tall at the shoulder. 



289 



