DYING STRUGGLE OP A LIONESS. 235 



any other members of the family he relieved the country 

 from one encumbrance in the future. Later in the day 

 the sharp eye of Mohamed discovered a lioness lying 

 under a mimosa which they were passing, but her retreat 

 was so dark that for some time Vivian could not see 

 her. Upon doing so he fired without being able to aim 

 very clearly at any part, and with only the result of 

 making her spring out of her ambush in an opposite 

 direction to where they were standing and disappear. 

 Immediately afterwards, Essafi and myself on our way 

 home appeared on the scene, and as it was very evident 

 from the blood in her track that she was wounded, we 

 agreed to join in following it up. 



For a long time the two hunters were mutually keen, 

 but Essafi was the first to despair of success, as he had 

 not the stimulus of its being his master's lion. Mohamed 

 at last was on the point of giving up the hunt, when as 

 we walked along the dry bed of a mountain torrent we 

 saw the lioness crouching on the bank under a large 

 1 baobab ' about thirty yards off. Vivian then took a 

 steady shot at her and literally rolled her over, and she 

 finally landed in front of us in the bed of the stream, 

 and though not dead she appeared quite done for. We 

 fortunately were very cautious about approaching her, 

 and did so very slowly, whilst throwing a few stones 

 until within fifteen yards of her, when with a low growl 

 she sprang up and came straight at us upon three legs, 



