ACROSS COUNTRY IX A CARRIAGE 321 



lion turned and swung along the brow of the hill; 

 the others disappeared over the opposite side, but 

 they soon reappeared some distance farther to the 

 right. 



Little spurts of dirt showed where our bullets 

 were striking. Once I kicked up the ground just 

 under him and once a shot from Stephenson passed 

 so close to his nose that he ducked his head angrily. 



We became frantic with eagerness and continued 

 disappointment. The thought of losing the finest 

 lion we had seen on the whole trip was maddening, 

 yet it seemed impossible to hit him. 



Then he disappeared and probably rejoined his 

 companions in a retreat that led down into the ra- 

 vine where it wound far away from us. There were 

 patches of reeds in the ravine and it was there that 

 I thought they would hide. 



Sending the carriage in a wide detour, we 

 climbed across a spur of the ravine and tried to pick 

 up the trail. Once I fell upon the rocks that lined 

 the steep sides of the gully and cut my hand so 

 deeply that the scar will always remain as a re- 

 minder of that eventful day. Stephenson kept to 

 the top of the ridge, believing that the lions would 

 continue across the ravine; I wejit into the ravine, 

 thinking they would take cover in the reeds and 

 might be scared out with a shot or two. 



But nothing could be seen of them, and after 

 half an hour we rejoined on the top of the hill, 

 where a wide view of the whole country was re- 

 yealed. 



