62 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



me away. I ran forward to investigate, with my rifle 

 at the trail. I don't excuse such folly, and I got my 

 deserts. Worse remains behind. It was my rule to 

 reload the right barrel immediately after firing, and 

 the left I called my emergency supply. My rule I say, 

 and yet in this most important shoot of all it was so in 

 theory only ! I had forgotten everything but the dead 

 lioness. I had forgotten the bush contained another 

 enemy. 



A snarling quick roar, and almost before I could do 

 anything but bring up my rifle and fire without the 

 sights, a lion broke from the side of the brake. I 

 heard an exclamation behind me, and my cousin's rifle 

 spoke. The bullet grazed the lion's shoulder only, and 

 lashed him to fury. All I can recollect is seeing the 

 animal's muscles contract as he gathered himself for a 

 springing charge, and instinct told me the precise 

 minute he would take off. My nerves seemed to relax, 

 and I tried to hurl myself to one side. There was no 

 power of hurling left in me, and I simply fell, not 

 backwards nor forwards, but sideways, and that acci- 

 dent or piece of luck saved me. For the great cat had 

 calculated his distance, and had to spring straight for- 

 ward. He had not bargained for a victim slightly to 

 the right or left. His weight fell on my legs merely, 

 and his claws struck in. Before he had time to turn 

 and rend me, almost instantaneously my cousin fired. 

 I did not know until later that she did so from a dis- 

 tance of some six yards only, having run right up to 

 the scene in her resolve to succour me. The top of 

 the lion's head was blown to smithereens, and the 



