202 THE BONDS OF AFRICA 



however, I saw what I fancied was her De- 

 moniacal Majesty, and I sent a bullet into the 

 crouching, almost concealed shape. The lioness 

 rose from the bush like a rocket, bounded a full 

 ten feet into the air and dashed away. I 

 missed her badly as she galloped towards the 

 unburned portions of the swamp. Then followed 

 some very skilful spooring on the part of Elmi 

 and Okote (one of the Kavirondo " askaris "). 

 I was looking straight ahead at a dense clump of 

 bushes when something caught my eye. It was 

 the tail of the lioness, swishing slowly to and fro. 

 Again I fired, and again to my great disappoint- 

 ment the animal bounded off. We now followed 

 her across a little stream up to the edge of the 

 burning reeds, but where or how she had gone it 

 was impossible to tell. I was peering into a 

 clump of unburnt bushes when Elmi clutched 

 me by the shoulder and whispered " Leopard ! " 

 Looking to where his finger pointed, I saw a 

 crouching mass of tawny skin and black spots, 

 but where lay head and where tail I could not 

 discover. However, it was not a time for 

 investigation. I had nearly stumbled on the 

 brute, so I fired at once, and had the satisfaction 

 of hearing the bullet hit with a resounding " vup." 

 But my luck was all out that afternoon, for the 

 leopard, too, sneaked away into the dense bushes. 

 After him we went ; and with a wounded lioness 

 mad with blood and fury and fright, and a wounded 

 leopard in that acre or two of covert, and with 

 a roaring bush-fire burning and crackling all 

 around us, I must confess it was quite as exciting 

 an experience as ever I wish for. At last I 

 espied the leopard crouching flat on the ground. 

 I quickly put two bullets into him, and the boys 

 dragged him out — a very fine specimen with the 



