ch. vn] AFTER LIONS 161 
but Kermit’s first bullets mortally wounded him and 
crippled him so that he could not come at any pace, 
and w'as easily stopped before covering half the distance. 
Although nearly a foot longer than the biggest of the 
lions I had already killed, he was so gaunt—whereas 
they were very fat—that he weighed but little more, 
only four hundred and twelve pounds. 
The following day I was out by myself, after impalla 
and Roberts’ gazelle ; and the day after I went out with 
Tarlton to try for lion. We were away from camp for 
over fifteen hours. Each was followed by his sais and 
gun-bearers, and we took a dozen porters also. The 
day may be worth describing, as a sample of the days 
when we did not start before dawn for a morning’s 
hunt. 
We left camp at seven, steering for a high, rocky hill, 
four miles off. We passed zebra and hartebeest, and on 
the hill came upon Chanter’s reedbuck ; but we wanted 
none of these. Continually Tarlton stopped to examine 
some distant object with his glasses, and from the hill 
we scanned the country far and wide; but we saw 
nothing we desired, and continued on our course. The 
day was windy and cool, and the sky often overcast. 
Slowly we walked across the stretches of brown grass¬ 
land, sometimes treeless, sometimes scantily covered 
with an open growth of thorn-trees, each branch armed 
with long spikes, needle-sharp ; and among the thorns 
here and there stood the huge cactus-like euphorbias, 
shaped like candelabra, groups of tall aloes, and gnarled 
wild olives of great age, with hoary trunks and twisted 
branches. Now and then there would be a dry water¬ 
course, with flat-topped acacias bordering it, and perhaps 
some one pool of thick greenish water. There was game 
always in view, and about noon we sighted three rhinos 
11 
