276 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
of the enraged animal, I being about five yards 
to the left front of Spooner, who was followed 
by Bhoota at about the same distance to his right 
rear. By this time the lion was beside himself 
with fury, growling savagely and raising quite a 
cloud of dust by lashing his tail against the ground. 
It was clearly high time that we did something, 
so asking Spooner to fire, I dropped on one knee 
and waited. Nor was I kept long in suspense, for the 
moment Spooner’s shot rang out, up jumped the lion 
and charged down in a bee-line for me, coming in 
long, low bounds at great speed. I fired the right 
barrel at about fifty yards, but apparently missed ; the 
left at about half that range, still without stopping 
effect. I knew then that there was no time to reload, 
so remained kneeling, expecting him to be on me the 
next moment. Suddenly, just as he was within a 
bound of me, he made a quick turn to my right. 
“Good heavens,” I thought, “he is going for 
Spooner.” I was wrong in this, however, for like a 
flash he passed Spooner also, and with a last tre- 
mendous bound seized Bhoota by the leg and rolled 
over and over with him for some yards in the 
impetus of the rush. Finally he stood over him 
and tried to seize him by the throat, which the 
brave fellow prevented by courageously stuffing 
his left arm right into the great jaws. Poor 
Bhoota! By moving at the critical moment, he 
eS dott 
