A CHARGING LION 
77 
CH. Ill] 
Hill and I stationed ourselves on one side of this valley 
or depression toward the upper end ; Pease took Kermit 
to the opposite side ; and we waited, our horses some 
distance behind us. The beaters were put in at the 
lower end, formed a line across the valley, and beat 
slowly toward us, making a great noise. 
They were still some distance away when Hill saw 
three lions, which had slunk stealthily off ahead of them 
through the grass. I have called the grass tall, but this 
was only by comparison with the short grass of the dry 
plains. In the depression or valley it was some three 
feet high. In such grass a lion, which is marvellously 
adept at hiding, can easily conceal itself, not merely 
when lying down, but when advancing at a crouching 
gait. If it stands erect, however, it can be seen. 
There were two lions near us—one directly in our 
front, a hundred and ten yards off. Some seconds 
passed before Hill could make me realize that the dim 
yellow smear in the yellow-brown grass was a lion ; and 
then I found such difficulty in getting a bead on him 
that I overshot. However, the bullet must have passed 
very close—indeed, I think it just grazed him—for he 
jumped up and faced us, growling savagely. Then, his 
head lowered, he threw his tail straight into the air and 
began to charge. The first few steps he took at a trot, 
and before he could start into a gallop I put the soft- 
nosed Winchester bullet in between the neck and 
shoulder. Down he went with a roar; the wound was 
fatal, but I was taking no chances, and I put two more 
bullets in him. Then we walked toward where Hill 
had already seen another lion—the lioness, as it proved. 
Again he had some difficulty in making me see her, 
but he succeeded, and I walked towards her through 
the long grass, repressing the zeal of my two gun- 
