88 THE LAND OF THE LION 



badly wounded beast to come. The grass was just long 

 enough to hide his body from me, except when he was actu- 

 ally bounding in his stride. If I had risen to my feet of 

 course I could have seen him more clearly, but I had thought 

 the whole thing out beforehand and had determined to 

 remain seated With elbow on your knee you have an 

 absolutely steady rest, and are not nearly as apt to throw 

 away a shot as you may be standing up. So I sat fast, 

 determined not to fire again until I could kill him dead, even 

 if I had to let him come to within a very few yards of me. 

 I knew, besides, that I had hit him and hit him hard the first 

 shot, and I hoped I had landed the second, but could not be 

 sure. I did not believe he could last the distance, certainly 

 not at the pace he started at. One more reason pinned me 

 to the ground. It was my first lion. It was all-important to 

 give my gunbearers confidence. If I stood up they might 

 be dancing round me, and in spite of the awful threatenings 

 I had fulminated against anyone who should ever under any 

 circumstances fire one of my guns, the guns might have 

 gone off of themselves, as gunbearers' guns have a way of 

 doing; whereas, if I sat, they must sit, too; and sitting 

 sobered them. I glanced at my men quickly as he made 

 that grand rush over the first hundred yards, and it was well 

 I did. My Wakamba, Brownie, was sitting still as a stone. 

 But the Somali, Dooda, his eyes and teeth gleaming, raised 

 my double .450 to his shoulder, and was on the point of firing, 

 when I hit him with my right elbow under the chin a smart 

 rap, which had the effect of putting him and the gun out of 

 commission for a few minutes. It had to be done; a gun- 

 bearer firing off your spare gun may cost you your life. 

 How long it takes to tell of these few intense seconds! 

 How quickly they are over! 



At about fifty yards he raised his head high above the 

 grass and slowed down to a trot, and as I saw his breast I 

 shot full into it, and the great dark head and yellow eyes 



