The Lion 553 



between dawn and daylight, and shooting them at it ; by night-watching 

 at bait or kill ; and by spooring them to their lairs during the day. I 

 will dismiss the latter alternative by saying that disappointments will be 

 numerous, for over ordinary country it is extremely difficult to follow such 

 light-treading animals, and, if put up many times, they become extremely 

 wary. Last year, after spooring three for several miles, we put them up 

 in a dense thorn-thicket, where I and my two attendants had to creep on 

 all-fours ; the brutes kept getting up in front of us, for they always saw us 

 first and treated us to a growl before moving on. Three times we followed 

 them round inside this horrible place, but never once saw them, although 

 we frequently saw the impala standing with outstretched necks, watching 

 them, and snorting loudly. The very best plan is to stalk them at dawn, 

 having marked the lie of the ground near the bait, so as to be able to 

 approach to within range before daylight, and with the wind from any 

 direction. If it is their own kill, a shot at them is then almost a certainty, 

 but if a placed bait, of course it may not have been found ; under any 

 circumstances the chances are bettered, first — by dragging it across several 

 game-tracks on the previous evening ; secondly, by placing it near water : 

 this invariably tempts the lion to stop an hour later than he would other- 

 wise do. If hyaenas are numerous, the bait must be placed in a tree at 

 least 8 feet from the ground. Vulture or hyaena-scares will not frighten 

 lions away. If the sportsman arrives late at a bait, watch the vultures — if 

 some are sitting in the trees and others flying over them, evidently afraid 

 to settle, hurry up, but move with caution, for there is surely some sort 

 of wild beast at it. 



Watching at night is intensely exciting, and I cannot agree with those 

 who think it unsportsmanlike. It certainly is so if the watch is from a tree, 

 though I have often adopted this from sheer necessity ; and it has only one 

 advantage to recommend it, that you have nothing to fear from the wind 

 — but it is very difficult to make out a beast on the ground below you. 



