72 
AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 
yards wide and as many feet deep; and I shifted my posi¬ 
tion, peering eagerly into the bushes for some moments 
before I caught a glimpse of tawny hide; as it moved, there 
was a call to me to ‘‘shoot,” for at that distance, if the lion 
charged, there would be scant time to stop it; and I fired 
into what I saw. There was a commotion in the bushes, 
and Kermit fired; and immediately afterward there broke 
out on the other side, not the hoped-for big lion, but two 
cubs the size of mastiffs. Each was badly wounded and we 
finished them off; even if unwounded, they were too big 
to take alive. 
This was a great disappointment, and as it was well 
on in the afternoon, and we had beaten the country most apt 
to harbor our game, it seemed unlikely that we would have 
another chance. Percival was on foot and a long way 
from his house, so he started for it; and the rest of us also 
began to jog homeward. But Sir Alfred, although he said 
nothing, intended to have another try. After going a mile 
or two he started off to the left at a brisk canter; and we, 
the other riders, followed, leaving behind our gun-bearers, 
saises, and porters. A couple of miles away was another 
donga, another shallow watercourse with occasional big 
brush patches along the winding bed; and toward this we 
cantered. Almost as soon as we reached it our leader found 
the spoor of two big lions; and with every sense acock, we 
dismounted and approached the first patch of tall bushes. 
We shouted and threw in stones, but nothing came out; 
and another small patch showed the same result. Then 
we mounted our horses again, and rode toward another 
patch a quarter of a mile off. I was mounted on Tran¬ 
quillity, the stout and quiet sorrel. 
