Somali 



can almost always avoid a lion's rush, so the game 

 is a tolerably safe one. 



We started at once, and after a twelve-mile 

 ride we reached another liquid mud-hole and 

 another encampment just similar to the last. 

 The lions were further on; a man was said to 

 be even then watching them, so leaving word 

 for our caravan, which was following us, to halt 

 by the karia, we rode on. 



At 3.30 we got on to the fresh tracks of no 

 less than five lions; two miles further on we 

 found a Somali in a tree. He said the troop 

 had laid up during the heat of the day in some 

 very thick mimosa bushes we had just passed; 

 he had watched them from a respectful distance. 

 About an hour before our arrival they had got 

 up and strolled on ; he had followed, but one 

 of them had spotted him, or so he thought, and 

 he had taken refuge in the tree, and hadn't 

 cared to come down again. Had we known 

 more about it we should now have stopped, 

 camped fairly close, and had a whole day next 

 day at the lions ; we should probably then have 

 accounted for the whole troop. We, however, 

 pushed on, following the large and never-to-be- 

 forgotten lion spoor. It was a quarter to six in 

 the evening, and the sinking sun was already 

 throwing long shadows everywhere. I was just 

 thinking it was about time to be getting back, 



107 



