A LION HUNT 51 



for about seven miles and then came out into an open plain. 

 The land lay very low and showed evidence of being covered 

 with water in the rainy season by the huge gaping fissures 

 and deep spoor of elephants, now baked permanently hard 

 by the sun. Here there were great numbers of hartebeest, 

 which fed over the plain like deer in a park. As we wanted 

 meat for the carriers I decided to stop, and Jose shot a 

 buck while I brought down a Senegal hartebeest. 



I had come to the conclusion that it would be unwise to 

 go after the lions with the ordinary Mauser bullets, which 

 were all the ammunition we had with us, so I sent Jose back 

 to Ibi to fetch some soft-nosed cartridges. As the distance 

 there and back was about forty miles I pitched camp on the 

 plain that night in order not to leave Jose too far behind. 

 Besides, the carriers had plenty to occupy themselves with 

 over the game, and I looked forward to a long afternoon's 

 bird-collecting. Next day we moved on and a few hours' 

 march brought us into the lion country in the neighbour- 

 hood of Tapkin Dorina. We were then following the caravan 

 road through pretty country; on either hand thick trees 

 and bush, broken up into clumps by green sward, which was 

 cropped to a smoothness like down-grass by the herds of 

 game. Here and there were thick fringed pools and high 

 elephant grass beyond. I was musing on the beauty of the 

 scenery and thinking what a capital lion country it appeared 

 to be, when suddenly my orderly called out " zachi " (lions !) 

 And following the direction in which he was pointing, there 

 against the low bush about 150 yards away on my left, I 

 beheld two lions, a male and female, steadily regarding us 

 with quiet gaze. I must say I was astonished to find them 



