278 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
ing for a spring, at the same time curling back 
his lips and exposing his long tusks in a savage 
snarl. I knew then that I had not a moment 
to spare, so I threw the rifle up to my shoulder 
and pulled the trigger. Imagine my utter de- 
spair and horror when it did not go off! “ Misfire 
again,’ I thought, and my heart almost stopped 
beating. As I took a step backwards, | felt it was 
all over now, for he would never give me time to 
extract the cartridge and load again. Still I took 
another step backwards, keeping my eyes fixed on 
the lion’s, which were blazing with rage; and in the 
middle of my third step, just as the brute was 
gathering himself for his spring, it suddenly struck 
me that in my haste and excitement, I had forgotten 
that I was using a borrowed rifle and had not pulled 
back the hammer (my own was hammerless). To 
do this and put a bullet through the lion’s brain 
was then the work of a moment; and he fell dead 
instantly right on the top of Bhoota. 
We did not lose a moment in rolling his great. 
carcase off Bhoota’s body and quickly forced open 
the jaws so as to disengage the mangled arm, 
which still remained in his mouth. By this time 
the poor skzkavz was in a fainting condition, and we 
flew to the /onga for the brandy flask which we had 
so providentially brought with us. On making a 
rough examination of the wounded man, we found 
that his left arm and right leg were both frightfully 
