224 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



that he was not surrounded, and then disappeared 

 in the grass. We followed as fast as we could, but 

 did not see him again. The going was bad, as 

 the ground was covered with small blocks of lava, 

 which were hidden by the grass ; but a good 

 rider, well mounted, might have been able to 

 round up that lion and prevent his escape. 



I was beginning to fear that the second expedi- 

 tion would be a failure, like the first, and that no 

 lion would be bagged; but the chance came. 

 When we were marching down the Rupingazi 

 River, after leaving Embu, I was hunting one 

 morning with the two gun-bearers in a large grassy 

 plain with no cover. Gimlette, who was on the 

 river, fired a shot, and at the noise a lion raised his 

 head above the grass, and Tagarru, who was 

 scanning the horizon with the glasses at the time, 

 saw him. Further examination revealed the pre- 

 sence also of two lionesses. I was not with the 

 men at the moment, and when I joined them 

 Tagarru imparted the news with a beaming face, 

 and we started in pursuit. Either Tagarru was 

 quite wrong in the information he gave me as to 

 the distance, or the lion must have moved towards 

 us in the grass, as, before I had taken the '450 in 

 my hand, the lion jumped up before me in the 

 grass and cantered off. I seized the rifle, but, 

 before I could fire, he disappeared over the crest 

 of the slope. The plain, as is usually the case in 

 East Africa, was not perfectly flat, but was a 

 series of undulating slopes. On reaching the crest 

 of the slope, I could see the head of the lion, who 

 was standing in the grass about 250 yards away. 

 Hoping to force him to stand, I fired at him with 



