324 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
forwarded to camp, towards which I advanced by a 
circuitous direction in the expectation of finding 
other game. The country was perfectly flat in the 
vicinity of the river, and although much covered 
with dense bush, it was interspersed with numerous 
small glades, covered with parched herbage 2 or 3 
feet in height. A few Tokrooris accompanied me 
with spare rifles (all muzzle-loaders, as the breech 
action had not been introduced in those days), and I 
was leading the way, occasionally breaking through 
the intervening bush, with as little noise as possible. 
Suddenly, as I was only half emerged from a line 
of dark green nabbuk, I was surprised by a short 
roar close to me, and I immediately saw the shoulders 
and the hinder portion of a lion, the head being 
concealed by the bush, from which I had not 
completely emerged. I could have touched it by 
stretching out my rifle, but personally I was quite 
unobserved. There was not a moment to lose, and 
I fired through the centre of the shoulder. With 
a short roar the lion disappeared; there was a 
rushing sound in the bushes, and almost immediately 
another lion occupied the exact position that had 
been quitted by the lioness. They must have been 
lying down together when startled by our appearance, 
or rather by the noise of our approach. This was 
a splendid chance, but I was unloaded ; I stretched 
my right arm behind me, expecting to receive a 
.spare rifle from my faithful Tokrooris, but they had 
retreated from the scene, and I remained within 6 
feet of a lion s flank with an unloaded rifle and no 
