xxiv BHOOTA'S LAST SHIK4R 275 



about three hundred yards. He seemed badly hit, 

 for he sprang into the air and apparently fell heavily. 

 I then exchanged my -303 for Spooner's spare 12- 

 bore rifle, and we turned our attention to the nearer 

 lion, who all this time had been lying perfectly still, 

 watching our movements closely, and evidently just 

 waiting to be down upon us the moment we came 

 within charging distance. He was never given this 

 opportunity, however, for we did not approach 

 nearer than ninety yards, when Spooner sat down 

 comfortably and knocked him over quite dead with 

 one shot from his '577, the bullet entering the left 

 shoulder obliquely and passing through the heart. 



It was now dusk, and there was no time to be 

 lost if we meant to bag the second lion as well. 

 We therefore resumed our cautious advance, moving 

 to the right as we went, so as to get behind us what 

 light there was remaining. The lion of course 

 twisted round in the grass in such a way as always 

 to keep facing us, and looked very ferocious, so that 

 I was convinced that unless he were entirely dis- 

 abled by the first shot he would be down on us like 

 a whirlwind. All the same, I felt confident that, 

 even in this event, one of us would succeed in 

 stopping him before he could do any damage ; 

 but in this I was unfortunately to be proved 

 mistaken. 



Eventually we managed to get within eighty yards 



T 2 



