IX 
THE LION 
325 
companion. The lion’s head and neck were quite 
concealed by the dense green bush^ and I had no 
other course to pursue than to reload my rifle. The 
first tap that I gave the bullet when ramming it 
home, scared the lion, and with a loud roar it sprang 
forward and disappeared. My recreant followers 
now returned, and having administered a few kicks, 
I took a double-barrelled rifle and we commenced a 
strict search for the wounded animal. Directed by 
a low moan, we found her within a few yards, dying ; 
it was a lioness, but there was no trace of her com¬ 
panion, which had been so lately within my reach. 
The spare camel was now brought up, and with 
great difliculty my three Tokrooris, the Hamran 
Arab, and myself succeeded in placing the lioness 
across the saddle, having first opened and cleaned 
the body to reduce the weight. 
Blood trickled from the carcase, and dropped 
upon the ground, thus forming a trace throughout 
the route until we reached the camp. The lioness 
was 9 feet i inch in length, and, when skinned, the 
body was dragged to a considerable distance and left 
for the hyenas. 
The fires were blazing after sunset; the horses 
of my Hamran hunters, and my own, were picqueted 
within the centre of our enclosure, near the tent, and 
we were about to retire for the night, when a deep 
guttural sigh was heard close to the high and 
impervious fence of kittur thorns. This had been 
carefully constructed, as life was most uncerjtain 
within that questionable district, where the Arab 
