72 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



along for a while, it beat us and we turned back. In vain I 

 looked out for vultures in the direction the elephant had been 

 going in ; but as a matter of fact they often do not collect 

 round the carcase of one of these animals (especially if in thick 

 bush, as it generally is) until a day or two after it has died. 

 There were plenty though to be seen all about where I had 

 shot the zebras, and as we came along in the morning we had 

 seen the trees near the place laden with them, as if with a heavy 

 crop of some curious great fruit ; so I now determined to pass 

 that way, though it was by this time almost too late to hope 

 to find lions at the carcases, as I knew would have been very 

 likely earlier. I should have liked to go before, on the chance 

 of that ; but in elephant-hunting everything else has to give 

 way to the serious business. On the way back I saw the remains 

 of a Grant's gazelle which had just been eaten by a lion ; and 

 just after, on coming out into the open, saw one making away 

 ahead, having clearly been disturbed from its prey by our 

 approach. I tried to get a shot, but it would not wait, and 

 with an irritable swing or two round and up of its tail, and 

 sulky growls, made off into the bush before I could get near 

 enough for a running shot. 



The place where the carcases of the zebras were was below 

 a little knoll — one of the ridges of lava, in fact. We approached 

 from above ; and, just as we got near the brow, a lioness 

 appeared from behind a bush, having evidently just come up 

 from below, but noticing us began to slink away again. I 

 immediately gave her a shot in the side with my .450, and 

 knocked her over. She lay kicking and growling for a second 

 or two and then lay in a crouching attitude, her head towards 

 us. I sat on a rock and gave her another bullet in the neck, 

 sending her sprawling again and biting savagely at the stones. 

 Hardly had I fired the second shot when another lioness came 

 up from beyond the first, apparently to see what was up. She 

 stood erect after coming over the rise, with head up and neck 

 stretched out, looking intently our way and offering a lovely 



