338 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA Ki' 
CHAP. 
into the long grass. Placing Lieut. Baker, R.N., 
upon my right, with instructions to enfilade the 
expected attack, I advanced to within 20 yards 
of the grass, and fired into the spot she was 
supposed to occupy. The effect was instantaneous. 
At the report of the rifle the lioness uttered a loud 
roar and charged directly upon myself, the most 
prominent antagonist. I fired the left-hand barrel 
at her chest, but this miserable weapon had no 
penetration (it was the first and last that I ever 
possessed with a hollow bullet); the natives hurled 
their spears, but missed the flying mark; Lieut. 
Baker fired right and left with a No. 70 small-bore, 
which hit, but without effect. Everybody turned 
and ran at their best speed, as the lioness in hot 
pursuit was within a few feet of us. A native 
servant of Lieut. Baker passed me with his master s 
spare gun in his hand. To snatch this from the 
man, and to turn round and face the still roaring 
pursuer, was the work of an instant, and I fired into 
her chest a No. 12 spherical ball with 4^ drams of 
powder from an ordinary smooth-bore. To my 
delight, this rolled her over and checked her onset; 
but she immediately sprang back to her asylum of 
yellow grass. We were now reduced to our 
original position, but I knew the wound would be 
quickly fatal. 
The natives recovered their spears, while we all 
reloaded, and presently one of our people from the 
summit of the ant-hill excitedly pointed to an object 
in the high grass ; within a distance of about eight 
