82 THE LAND OF THE LION 



throw to the winds his feigned indifference, and "clear" 

 like a frightened cat. 



Surely like all wild animals, the lion is learning and learn- 

 ing quickly the lesson the modern rifle so effectually teaches. 

 Tigers, Indian Shekaris tell us, do not charge as they did. 

 Our own grizzly bear, of whose fierce savagery, we feel 

 ourselves (in honour to the country of big things) bound to 

 make the most may have in Lewis and Clark's days 

 charged in quite orthodox fashion. I have proved, to my 

 own satisfaction at any rate, that he is not half as likely 

 to charge as a wounded water buck to-day. 



Anyway lions won't stand. If they do stand for you, 

 count yourself lucky. If you come on one at a few yards off, 

 his surprise will chain him to where he is, for well-long 

 enough for a ready man to shoot him. Then under these 

 circumstances the surprise sometimes is mutual. A friend 

 of mine was hunting with another man on the Athi three 

 years ago. They divided, each walking on the edge of a 

 narrow water course an excellent place to chance on a 

 lion. My friend's companion had come all the way to the 

 Protectorate to get a lion, so he kept saying. He cared to 

 shoot nothing else. Presently out of the yellow nulla grass 

 a fine male lion stepped right in front of him, and, not seeing 

 him stood at thirty yards distance stock still. The would- 

 be lion slayer stood stock still too, and the lion walked back 

 into the cover, and he back to camp, a disconcerted 

 man. Of course he never had another chance like that and 

 went home wiser if lion-less. 



My own chance seemed as though it would never come. 

 J. J. W. saw ten or eleven different lions. He longed to 

 give me his luck but could not. Morning after morning I 

 left camp at dawn and carefully searched the country 

 where I had marked their nightly roaring. I could only 

 comfort myself by repeating my own old fisherman's motto, 

 " If you want salmon keep your fly in the water." Some- 



