248 THE LAND OF THE LION 



for such work. In accuracy, good sighting and in weight 

 they are very inferior to the Stevens; moreover, they are 

 almost impossible to keep really clean, and once foul a .22 

 won't shoot well. A .25 is much easier to keep clean. I 

 fear it will seem to some that I have written on lion hunting 

 with a degree of assurance that ill becomes one who has only 

 hunted this grandest of all game for little more than a year. 

 I may not be able to clear myself from the charge. But 

 I can say at least, in extenuation of my fault, if fault there is, 

 that I have been privileged to know very well indeed one 

 or two men whose experience of lion hunting has been very 

 extended. I have submitted what I put down to their 

 judgment, and have the satisfaction of knowing that I have 

 written nothing with which they do not thoroughly agree. 



I had one more rather remarkable ride before leaving 

 this beautiful country. It was after a cheetah. Now as 

 everyone knows there are few animals that can put up 

 the pace that this hunting leopard can. You see them 

 oftener than you do leopards, which, though they are quite 

 numerous, are seldom seen. The cheetah seem to know 

 their own powers and do not seem to mind showing their 

 yellow-black spotted beauty even in the daytime. They 

 run their prey down, and trotting across the open veldt 

 you sometimes come on them. Unless well mounted you 

 may save yourself and your pony the trouble of a race. 

 And unless the ground is very open, no matter how fast 

 your mount is, their pursuit is hopeless. 



As H. and I were returning southward from our elephant 

 hunt on the Turquell, we sighted a mother and two half- 

 grown cubs. There was a long stretch of good galloping 

 ground, and gallop we did for all we were worth. The 

 cubs soon took to the grass and our men following secured 

 one of them, getting a good scratching as they did 

 so. The full grown mother gave us a tremendous run, 

 fully three miles, and then stopped. I noticed a strange 



