66 PEACE: LION HUNTING 



and roaring, his tail straight out behind him. He 

 behaved, in fact, just like an ill-tempered buck- 

 jumper finishing up an unsuccessful set-to. I 

 thought, " I should not like to be too close to you, 

 my boy," but little imagined the same big rascal 

 would so soon be on top of me. The two lionesses 

 had halted immediately and were both staring 

 hard at me, or rather perhaps in the direction 

 whence my shot had come, for it is doubtful 

 if they could have seen me. Except for throwing 

 in another cartridge, I sat quiet. 



The lion's performance having carried him 

 behind a little broken tree, which prevented me 

 getting a second clear shot at him, I refrained 

 from firing at either of the lionesses lest I might 

 have a second wounded beast to manage. Pre- 

 sently the lion himself worked more into the open 

 and I got a second shot at him, but my bullet 

 merely passed under his stomach, throwing up 

 the sand between his four feet. At this all three 

 cleared off immediately in different directions into 

 the bush, and to my disgust the big fellow appeared 

 to move as briskly as the others. The rest of the 

 boys, having heard the rifle shots and the roaring 

 of the angry lion, now came up, and Tatello 

 described in true native fashion the whole per- 

 formance to the new-comers, showing off the 

 actions of the principals concerned. 



I had an unhappy feeling that about the worst 

 thing that could have happened had really taken 

 place, and the absence of all enthusiasm on the 



