Sporting Trips of a Subaltern 



and about twenty yards from the bush, with 

 my two hunters, and shouted at her, my first 

 hunter shooting into the bush, hoping to get her 

 to charge across the open. I let my hunter shoot 

 as I had no wish for her to do any more damage, 

 and I thus had both barrels always ready for a 

 charge. I could see nothing to fire at except her 

 tail, which she was lashing vigorously while utter- 

 ing blood-curdling roars. She would not break 

 cover, so at last I left my hunters to sit where 

 they were, and to continue shouting without 

 firing ; meanwhile I crawled away back in the 

 grass and did the quietest stalk I have ever done 

 in my life. It seemed to take hours, with every 

 nerve strung up to concert pitch ; but at length 

 I had done what I wished, crawled right round in 

 a half-circle till I and the furious lioness were in 

 the same bush, she still snarling and every now 

 and then roaring at the hunters, and quite un- 

 conscious of my presence. Only ten yards sepa- 

 rated us (I always paced my distances after a 

 shot) ; but, as I was lying down, the undergrowth 

 hid most of her, except her head and the top of her 

 back. I suppose it was this, combined with the 

 fact that I was shooting up at her she was stand- 

 ing that made me put my bullet a trifle high 

 when, if ever I meant to make certain of a heart 

 shot at ten yards, it was then ; anyway, instead 

 of being knocked out she spun round, and for a 



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