164 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 



precipitately. There was a small nullah hereabouts, 

 and I made certain the great cat had brought up there ; 

 so I rode on and then settled down on the verge to 

 wait for the shikaris to come up. When they arrived, 

 they surrounded the place in most daring fashion, and 

 began to prod with their spears into the thickest grass 

 and thorn, keeping up a hideous yelling the while. 



A choking, gurgling roar, and the lioness was out 

 and off. I hastily brought up my rifle and fired. It 

 was a shaky shot enough, and I only got her in the 

 hind quarter. Things looked a bit nasty as she turned 

 on us, ears laid back, mouth curled up in a furious 

 snarl, and tail working up and down like a clockwork 

 toy. She sprang, as a set off, several feet into the air. 

 Such mighty bounds with a sideway twist about them, 

 and I did not delay longer. 



Seeing the great head over my sights, I pulled the 

 trigger. Still she came on a few yards, worrying the 

 ground with her mouth. Then the game and magnifi- 

 cent creature crashed forward and never moved again- 

 She was a young lioness, in the heyday of beauty, and 

 I sat down quivering all over at the sight of so won- 

 drous a prize. After directing the three men who had 

 followed to skin and decapitate my lioness, I worked 

 back to the retreat of the rhino. On my way I sighted 

 a dibatag and a couple of graceful oryx, but saw them 

 disappear on the horizon without an attempt to annex 

 one of them. It was not only late, but the men had 

 all they could manage. 



I imagined the rhino would be by now accounted 

 for. It was — thoroughly ! Cicely met me as I neared 



