Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



bush, without going right up to it, but not a bit. 

 No sooner had he got the match-box than he 

 coolly strolled up with only a spear and began 

 kindling a fire. Of course, I advanced again and 

 guarded him with my rifle, but he had been quite 

 prepared to do it without. Unluckily there had 

 been too much rain, and only the top of the 

 clump would burn, while it was now 6.30, and 

 I realized that it was too dark to see my sights 

 properly ; also, there were four lions in bushes all 

 round us, so we reluctantly gave it up, and, mount- 

 ing our horses, started for camp. We did not 

 find it at the water-hole, the head-man having for 

 some reason halted some way off, and the end of 

 it was that we rode about in the dark, shouting 

 and firing shots till about 11 p.m. before we got 

 in. Very minor discomforts, however, when one 

 has bagged one's first lion. 



That night we were pretty tired, and as all 

 our men assured us that the lions would be certain 

 to clear out of the country after their bustling, 

 we decided to send horsemen out at daybreak to 

 reconnoitre and to await their report. Of course 

 we ought to have gone ourselves, but when one 

 gets to bed dog tired at about midnight, one is 

 apt to listen to advice not to rise again at 4.30 a.m. 

 Well, at 9 a.m. next morning back came the 

 horsemen to report that at least half a dozen lions 

 were in the same spot, and the carcass of the 



no 



