398 ELEPHANT-HUNTING IN EAST AFRICA chap. 



Though I could not grip my rifle with my right hand, I 

 could hold it up with my left and put a finger of the damaged 

 one on the trigger, and in this way, aiming for the sound, I 

 fired a shot. Instantly a light-coloured animal dashed out of 

 the scrub within a few yards of us, made visible by the light of 

 the fire that always burned outside my hut. Those around me 

 nearly knocked me down in their alarm, rushing back into my 

 hut under the impression that the lion was upon us ; and I 

 confess that at the first moment of catching sight of it I 

 thought it was one myself But it turned behind my hut 

 instead of coming on, and was, in fact, the donkey which the 

 lions had dropped on my firing the shot. 



At the time I supposed that the whizzing of the bullet close 

 past had made them let go for a moment, but it proved after- 

 wards that this shot had actually hit one of them ; the donkey, 

 moreover, was in the end recovered, and eventually got over its 

 wounds. This by the way : I did not know then that I had 

 done any good, though I knew I had hurt my hand ; and my 

 impression that it was to no purpose was confirmed by another 

 donkey being caught at once, as was proved by similar sounds 

 of a struggle coming again from close to the same spot as 

 before. Neither shots fired by the men nor firebrands thrown 

 had any effect, and after more struggling, panting, and groaning, 

 the donkey was killed and then dragged farther off, amid 

 horrible gurglings and gruntings. I concluded it was useless 

 to attempt to do any more in the pitch dark, for, even had we 

 succeeded in making the lions drop the present victim, another 

 would have certainly been caught, since all the donkeys were 

 out in the bush ; better, then, let one be eaten, and endeavour 

 to concoct a plan to make its sacrifice a means of revenge. In 

 the meantime I finished my interrupted meal. 



Lesiat rather annoyed me by talking idiotically. I fancy, 

 though, that he was even more disappointed in me ; and I must 

 have fallen lamentably as a magician in the estimation of my 

 Ndorobo friends on this occasion, in that my magical powers— 



