188 
AFRICAN GAME TRAILS 
which covered the lower part of her face, and moreover I 
fired a little too much to the left. The bullet went through 
the side of her head, and in between the neck and shoulder, 
inflicting a mortal, but not immediately fatal, wound. 
However it knocked her off the little ledge on which she 
was lying, and instead of charging she rushed up hill. We 
promptly followed, and again clambered up the mass 
of bowlders at the top. Peering over the one on which 
I had climbed there was the lioness directly at its foot, not 
twelve feet away, lying flat on her belly; I could only 
see the aftermost third of her back. I at once fired into 
her spine; with appalling grunts she dragged herself a few 
paces down hill; and another bullet behind the shoulder 
finished her. 
She was skinned as rapidly as possible; and just before 
sundown we left the koppie. At its foot was a deserted 
Masai cattle kraal and a mile from this was a shallow, 
muddy pool, fouled by the countless herds of game that 
drank thereat. Toward this we went, so that the thirsty 
horses and men might drink their full. As we came near 
we saw three rhinoceros leaving the pool. It was already 
too dusk for good shooting, and we were rather relieved 
when, after some inspection, they trotted off and stood at 
a little distance in the plain. Our men and horses drank, 
and then we began our ten miles’ march through the dark¬ 
ness to camp. One of Kermit’s gun-bearers saw a puff 
adder (among the most deadly of all snakes); with de¬ 
lightful nonchalance he stepped on its head, and then held 
it up for me to put my knife through its brain and neck. 
I slipped it into my saddle pocket, where its blood stained 
the pigskin cover of the little pocket Nibelungenlied which 
