IX 



TRAVELS IN- EASTERN AFRICA 



399 



foot of which the king of beasts stalked about, growl- 

 ing and sweeping his tail. A second shot deprived 

 the animal of life. George's men told him that, for 

 a moment or so after receiving the first shot, the 

 animal remained on the ground, apparently lifeless. 

 Suddenly they saw him rise to his feet ; and, acting 

 upon this hint, they ascended the trees. 



Examination disclosed the fact that the first bullet 

 had penetrated the entire length of the animal's body, 

 but had failed to reach its heart ; the second shot 

 successfully performed this mission. The paws of the 

 lion were as full of thorns as the back of a porcu- 

 pine of quills ; which perhaps explains the fact that, 

 with the exception of a bunch of dried grass, its 

 stomach was entirely empty. The thorns in the 

 lion's feet probably rendered it painful and difiicult to 

 hunt game ; hence the empty condition of its stom- 

 ach. 



Upon my arrival at Daitcho, I was much surprised 

 at not finding Hamidi returned from the coast with 

 the new men, donkeys, and stores I had ordered. He 

 was many weeks overdue. Knowing that his ex- 

 perience in African travel would enable him to reach 

 the coast and return without difficulty, particularly 

 as the country through which his path lay was not 

 dangerous, I began to suspect that in some way he 

 had played me false ; and made up my mind to face 

 the future without other means than those I had at 

 hand. 



As before stated, Lieutenant von Hohnel's alarm- 

 ing condition necessitated his transport to a place 

 where he could receive the skilled attention of a phy- 



