150 
THE LION. 
great distance, and effectually saved the lion. I was 
much disappointed, as we should have had a glorious 
fight, and I had long sought for an opportunity of 
witnessing an attack on the lion with the sword. 
The Aggajeers were equally annoyed, and they 
explained that they should have been certain to kill 
him. Their plan was to ride upon either flank, at a 
few yards distance, when he would have charged 
one man, who would have dashed away, while the 
other hunter would have slashed the lion through 
the back with his sword. They declared that a 
good hunter should be able to protect himself by a 
back-handed blow with his sword, should the lion 
attack the horse from behind; but that the great 
danger in a lion-hunt arose, when the animal took 
refuge in a solitary bush, and turned to bay. In 
such instances, the hunters surrounded the bush, 
and rode directly towards him, when he generally 
sprang out upon some man or horse, and was then 
cut down immediately by the sabre of the next 
hunter. The Aggajeers declared that, in the event 
of an actual fight, the death of the lion was sure 
although one or more men or horses might be 
wounded, or perhaps killed. 53 
Though Sir Samuel Baker was never fortunate 
enough to see the lion vanquished by the sabre alone, 
yet several of these noble beasts fell to his deadly 
rifle, and amongst them more than one that he 
“ bearded in its very den, 55 a feat not so very often 
performed even by the boldest of Nimrods. After 
telling us tha't on a certain night they were serenaded 
