A LION STORY 89 



ably thorny bushes, we after a time heard low, angry growls, 

 which informed us that the game had become aware of our 

 vicinity. 



As I had been the first to wound the lion, he was mine by 

 the unwritten rules of woodcraft. I therefore had the post of 

 honour in front, and was the first to see- him lying under 

 some overhanging bushes. Only the hindquarters were, how- 

 ever, visible; so, hoping to cripple him, I' fired at the hips. 

 He was up at the flash, and charged with a terrible roar to 

 within two or three yards of us, and then disappeared through a 

 bush. My bullet not having had time to reach the spot aimed 

 at, passed, as we afterwards found, through the fleshy part of his 

 thigh, and G., who fired when the lion charged, missed alto- 

 gether, the animal's change of direction having been so very 

 sudden. Once more the search commenced, but did not last 

 long this time. Soon we heard the low growling again, and, re- 

 connoitring his new position, found that the roaring came from a 

 dome-palm clump a little way ahead, with a piece of open 

 ground in front, which, with such a savage enemy before us, 

 we hesitated to cross. The growls were so frequent, and 

 sounded so like those of an animal in his death agony, that G. 

 and I, the trackers having retired to a safe distance, decided 

 to smoke a cigarette at this extreme outpost and to wait a bit. 

 The roaring, however, becoming much stronger, and our anxiety 

 to bag greater, we threw our cigarettes away and climbed up a 

 high ant-hill close by, from which elevated and safe position we 

 hoped to see the wounded lion. Nor were we disappointed ; G., 

 first on the top, at once discovered the brute's head under a young 

 dome-palm bush, but not before the lion had become aware of 

 our new tactics tactics of which he disapproved by loud angry 

 roars. His minutes were, however, numbered, for, finally rest- 

 ing the rifle, I sent a bullet into his forehead. His head 

 dropped at once, and, after a few convulsive movements, the 

 noble animal breathed its last. Warned by the fate of other 

 sportsmen, we left him alone for some time, and then by 

 throwing stones at him made sure that no life remained before 

 we went up to him and examined our prize. He was a splendid 

 fellow, with a beautiful mane and sleek skin. The moment of 

 standing over one's first lion is certainly worth a very great deal 

 of roughing, hard work, and frequent disappointment, and 



