SECOND EXPEDITION TO EAST AFRICA 231 



and Gimlette and he crawled into the thicket, 

 Gimlette having the '470 and Mabruki the -350, 

 while I waited outside to shoot the lioness if she 

 should bolt out. Mabruki saw the lioness crouch- 

 ing in the thick cover, but Gimlette could not make 

 her out, and accordingly ordered Mabruki to fire. 

 He put a bullet into her chest with the '350 ; and, 

 as she rose with a roar, Gimlette knocked her over 

 with a shot from the big rifle. It was an anxious 

 wait for me outside, but the sounds which reached 

 me from the thicket were reassuring, and before 

 long I was relieved to see them both emerge 

 triumphant. 



This was the end of the day's sport, but on the 

 following morning we again rose early and hunted 

 the same ground in the hope of coming across the 

 young lion and lioness. Before we had gone far 

 Gimlette had an attack of malarial fever, and was 

 obliged to return to camp, and I therefore 

 hunted alone, with the two gun-bearers, along the 

 edge of the plain which adjoined the broken ground 

 and jungle on the bank of the stream. One of the 

 men saw the lions in the distance returning from 

 the plain to the jungle. The lioness was leading, 

 and was travelling fast, while the lion followed 

 more leisurely. We hastened in pursuit, but the 

 going was bad, and it was impossible to walk very 

 fast. We came up with the lion, however, while 

 he was making his way up the side of a small dry 

 ravine which connected with the broken ground. 

 " There he sit," cried Tagarru excitedly, and the 

 sound of his voice probably put the lion on his 

 guard, as, when he reached the level ground at 

 the top of the ravine, he stood behind a large 



