226 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



and began to ascend it. Almost immediately the 

 lion showed himself high up on the hill, and began 

 to walk round the top. He was a long way off, 

 but he checked for a moment, and I sat down and 

 put up the 400 yards sight and had a steady shot 

 at him. 



" You hit him," said Tagarru triumphantly ; 

 and I myself heard the welcome thud which a 

 bullet makes when it strikes flesh. The lion dis- 

 appeared round the top of the hill, and, while I was 

 looking in his direction, Tagarru excitedly called 

 out, " Take big gun, take big gun/' I looked 

 round and saw the larger of the two lionesses, 

 which had jumped up at the shot, moving slowly 

 away. When she was 130 or 140 yards from us 

 she stopped and half-turned, and looked at us 

 over her shoulder. She offered a good mark, and 

 I fired at her, from a standing position, with the 

 450 and put a bullet through her heart. After 

 some convulsive struggles she collapsed and fell. 



" Good shot ! " said Tagarru, and shook hands 

 with me warmly. Saasita stood by my side with 

 nothing in his hand, while I fired this shot, which 

 might easily have been followed by a charge, but 

 he was perfectly steady and showed no sign of fear. 

 Tagarru, also, behaved very well. The lioness 

 appeared to be quite dead ; but, to make sure, 

 I had a shot at her as she lay on the ground with 

 the '350 without the telescope-sight, and, as we 

 subsequently found, missed her clean. The two 

 rifles were sighted differently ; and, as I almost 

 always used the "350 with the telescope-sight, I 

 had not up to that time discovered this. 



The lioness was, however, quite dead, and we 



