xxm HOW ROSHAN KHAN SAVED MY LIFE — 255 
flying Masai. Like lightning I loaded again from 
the magazine, but now the lion was within a spring 
of his prey, and it seemed hopeless to expect to 
save poor Roshan Khan from his clutches. Just at 
this moment, however, the terrified youth caught 
sight of the brute over his left shoulder, and 
providentially made a quick swerve to the right. 
As the lion turned to follow him, he came broadside 
on to me, and just as he had Roshan Khan within 
striking distance and was about to seize him, he 
dropped in the middle of what would otherwise 
assuredly have been the fatal spring—bowled over 
with a broken shoulder. This gave me time to run 
up and give him a final shot, and with a deep roar 
he fell back full length on the grass, stone-dead. - 
I then looked round to see if Roshan Khan was 
all right, as I was not sure whether the lion had 
succeeded in mauling him or not. The sight that 
met my eyes turned tragedy into comedy in an 
instant, and made me roar with laughter ; indeed, it 
was so utterly absurd that I threw myself down on 
the grass and rolled over and over, convulsed with 
uncontrollable mirth. For there was Roshan Khan, 
half-way up a thorn tree, earnestly bent on getting 
to the very topmost branch as quickly as ever he 
could climb; not a moment, indeed, was he able 
to spare to cast a glance at what was happening 
beneath. His puggaree had been torn off by one 
