SECOND EXPEDITION TO EAST AFRICA 227 



walked to the top of the hill and descended slowly, 

 looking for the lion. The gun-bearers soon saw 

 him lying on the slope of the hill, with his head on 

 the ground facing in our direction. If we had 

 followed him round the hill there might have been 

 trouble, as we should probably have been below 

 him. As it was, we were about loo yards above 

 him, and had therefore the advantage of position. 

 I saw a yellow patch, but could not make out the 

 head, and should not myself have known that it 

 was the lion. Both the men, however, were very 

 confident, and I put a bullet from the '450 into 

 the yellow patch. The shot struck the lion in the 

 back near the neck and passed out of the body 

 near the tail, and, as he raised himself with a roar, 

 I fired a second shot and knocked him over. 



The direction of the first shot from the 350 was 

 excellent, but it was too high. If the rifle had been 

 properly sighted I believe that the shot would 

 have killed the lion. The rifle was sighted for 

 400 yards, and the distance, which I paced on the 

 following day, was 300 yards. As it was, the lion 

 was evidently badly crippled by the shot. I saw 

 nothing of the second lioness, but the men said 

 that she escaped over the hill. 



I left Saasita on the spot, with the 450 rifle, to 

 skin the lions, and went on to the camp with 

 Tagarru. On arrival there I told Gimlette what 

 had happened and then sat down to have some 

 breakfast. Then, according to his account, I 

 became very quiet and suddenly asked, " Where 

 am I ? " He said, " You are here, on the Rupin- 

 gazi River, and have just shot two lions " ; but I 

 had absolutely no recollection of the incident. 



