FURTHER At)V£NtURES WITH LIONS 



ground with a low groan. For safety's sake I put a 

 second bullet into him. The trophy was well earned. 

 We had been following the animal for six hours and 

 had become thirsty and dead tired. But who is not 

 willing to bear fatigue and thirst and to have his hands 

 and face torn by thorny bushes if his efforts be rewarded 

 as mine were on that lucky day ? But I was not always 

 so lucky; more than once I was sorely disappointed. 

 On one occasion I followed the track of a lion which 

 had killed a half -grown zebra at night and was dragging 

 it over the steppe into one of the periodic river-beds to 

 eat it up at its leisure. I reached the high bank and was 

 looking for a place affording an easy descent into the 

 bed of the river, when the animal — it was a lioness — ■ 

 spied me and made her escape. 



Another time, in December, 1900, I noticed a number 

 of vultures perched on the branches of a leafless tree. 

 Nearing the place I saw a strong-maned lion. He had 

 scented me and was rapidly trotting across a small 

 clearing at a distance of about four hundred feet. I 

 flred, but missed the animal, who quickened his pace. 

 We tracked him without difficulty, but were led for over 

 two hours in a circle and crosswise over a comparatively 

 small space of ground, catching sight of the lion only 

 now and then, but never having a good opportunity of 

 firing a shot at him. His tracks were criss-crossing one 

 another so bewilderingly that we at last gave up the 

 pursuit. 



223 



