TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 177 
sounding roars, in which his personal animus railed at 
us. I instructed the men to remain as they were, 
talking and endeavouring to weary the lion into 
breaking cover, whilst I did a stalk. 
When investigated from the other side, the citadel 
chosen for the great stand was of less dense khansa, 
and the umbrella tops made great dark shelters for the 
tunnels between the stems. It was most exciting and 
dangerous, and I had so many things to plan and think 
out. I crawled in, and commenced to work my way 
towards the place occupied by my enemy, whose 
exact position could be located to a nicety by his growls 
and snarls, and the noise he kept up was of the greatest 
help to me. Even the lightest, deftest tracker could 
hardly go through bush like that in silence. 
It was very dark at first in my covert, but at intervals 
it lightened up. I crawled for the best part of half an 
hour, and then, when my aching hands almost refused 
to drag me farther, I found myself in dense under- 
growth, in the actual vicinity of the lion, who half- 
standing, half-crouching, was facing, in sparser cover, 
the direction of my hunters and the scene of the catas- 
trophe. There was nothing to fire at but swishing tail. 
The grass and aloes hid any vital part, and I dared not 
miss, whatever came about. A heart shot, or a head 
shot, it must be, or the sportswoman ! Oh, where was 
she ! The thought struck through my brain of the 
imminence of my danger should Clarence or one of 
the others take to some flank movement whereby the 
present position of things might be altered by a hair’s 
breadth. As it was, time was what I needed, and I 
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