164 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
precipitately. There was a small nullah hereabouts, 
and I made certain the great cat had brought up there ; 
so I rode on and then settled down on the verge to 
wait for the shikaris to come up. When they arrived, 
they surrounded the place in most daring fashion, and 
began to prod with their spears into the thickest grass 
and thorn, keeping up a hideous yelling the while. 
A choking, gurgling roar, and the lioness was out 
and off. I hastily brought up my rifle and fired. It 
was a shaky shot enough, and I only got her in the 
hind quarter. Things looked a bit nasty as she turned 
on us, ears laid back, mouth curled up in a furious 
snarl, and tail working up and down like a clockwork 
toy. She sprang, as a set off, several feet into the air. 
Such mighty bounds with a sideway twist about them, 
and I did not delay longer. 
Seeing the great head over my sights, I pulled the 
trigger. Still she came on a few yards, worrying the 
ground with her mouth. Then the game and magnifi- 
cent creature crashed forward and never moved again. 
She was a young lioness, in the heyday of beauty, and 
I sat down quivering all over at the sight of so won- 
drous a prize. After directing the three men who had 
followed to skin and decapitate my lioness, I worked 
back to the retreat of the rhino. On my way I sighted 
a dibatag and a couple of graceful oryx, but saw them 
disappear on the horizon without an attempt to annex 
one of them. It was not only late, but the men had 
all they could manage. 
I imagined the rhino would be by now accounted 
for. It was — thoroughly ! Cecily met me as I neared 
