The Lion 557 



in the act of doing so, a loud growl saluted me from a spot under the bank, 

 which here overhung considerably, the scour of the water round the bend 

 in flood-time having washed it out. As I gained my feet and turned 

 quickly, I saw a lion standing under the bank, watching me, looking very 

 grand but very fierce, with crest defiantly erect, and a savage gleam in his 

 eyes ; while a few yards beyond him a lioness lay on the sand, whisking 

 her tail about and also watching me intently, but in silence. I mentally 

 thanked my stars that I had my double- 12 rifle, as, almost immediately I 

 found footing, the lion advanced a few steps, growling hoarsely (he was 

 then eleven measured paces from me), holding his head low and twitching 

 his tail from side to side, while his eyes were fixed on mine with a look of 

 concentrated rage. It does not do to hesitate at such a moment, and as he 

 jerked his tail up (a lion often does this, and always charges after doing so), 

 I knelt down, got a quick sight on his chest, and fired. He reared up on 

 his hind-legs, roaring loudly and clawing at the air, then fell back dead. 

 It all happened then in a moment. Through the smoke I saw the lioness 

 spring to her feet and rush towards me. Escape was impossible — a huge 

 tree-trunk lay across the river-bed behind me, the banks were unscalable 

 at a moment's notice — and with desperate coolness I fired my remaining 

 barrel as she came on, uttering hoarse coughing grunts and flashing fire 

 from her eyes. I missed her clean, and as the bullet struck the sand up 

 under her belly and I saw that I had failed to stop her, I took a step 

 backwards in the futile hope of getting another cartridge into my rifle, and 

 fell, scarcely two lengths in front of the furious beast. Had she been 

 wounded nothing could have saved me from a mauling, or worse ; but, 

 whether because she was unhurt, or because she saw my companion appear 

 at that moment on the bank above, I cannot say, at all events she 

 swerved to one side, sprang lightly on to the fallen tree, where Mr. Parsons 

 missed a shot at her, and thence on to the bank, where a second shot told 

 loudly and received an answering growl. She now got away into some 



