THE KATIIIAWAR LION. 745 



Some days later, khubber was brought in to me late one afternoon 

 that a lion had been marked down about 4 miles away from camp. 

 It was almost too late to make any use of it, especially as I heard 

 at the same time that only some half a dozen beaters could be got 

 together at that hour, but it was worth the attempt. I started at 

 once, and taking my rifle with me galloped to the spot, where my 

 man was waiting for me, arriving just as it was beginning to get dark. 

 After all there were only two or three men to do the driving. The 

 lion was lying, as usual, at the foot of a large banyan tree and would 

 soon be on the move — there was no time to be lost. I scrambled into 

 the first tree which was at all suitable, and my man Oomar went off 

 to assist in the driving. All might have turned out well, but almost 

 as soon as Oomar had gone, I realized I should have the greatest 

 difficulty in firing out of my tree without being knocked out of it. 

 There was not a single branch to hang on to, and it was impossible 

 to get down the smooth trunk with my rifle. I had to make 

 the best of a bad job. I had not long to wait. A couple of 

 shouts, and the lion was in evidence in the now fast increasing 

 dusk. 



It looked a magnificent beast in the uncertain light. If only I 

 could get in a straight shot ! But it was not to be. The lion 

 started by making directly for my trees, but had not gone far before 

 it turned off to the light and made up a hill. I balanced myself 

 with much difficulty as I got in two snapshots before it disap- 

 peared over the brow of the hills. The result, as might have been 

 expected, was nil. How I regretted I had not stood at the foot of 

 the tree, or at any rate, tried to stalk it, but one always knows 

 what one ought to have done after it is all over ! 



On the 1st May of the same year, I moved my camp to Moduka, 

 a more pretentious Ness than the generality of them, in the very- 

 heart of the lion country. As I was leaving Sasan, I heard a lion 

 roaring in the distance which I hoped portended good luck ! My 

 men had some difficulty in finding a suitable tree for my camp, 

 owing to the best site being so overgrown with jungle, and when 

 I arrived I found I had to share my camp with the grave of a 

 Mahomedan Pir, which almost blocked up one of the entrances to 

 my tent. An ancient worn-out black goat, which some days 



