MISTAKE A WILD DOG FOR A LION 159 
curious to know how far the beast had been after me, and was 
going along easily, just watching for possibilities, when a short, 
sharp, barking grunt behind me made me face round in double 
quick time. About eighty yards back was a thicket, between 
which and myself a few scattered trees intervened, while the 
intermediate sandy soil was almost bare of grass. Going a little 
closer, peering into the bush the while, I made out two round, 
yellow ears and the face of some beast—evidently a lion-looking 
at me attentively through the scrub at the edge of the thicket. 
Judging that a shot aimed below the face would rake the beast 
from end to end, as he was evidently standing facing me, and 
feeling secure of my aim at that distance, I had no doubts about 
the result of the shot, so, carefully sticking out the long Swin- 
burne-Henry, I pulled. Not a sound came from the bush, or 
the least move indicating a struggle in response to the shot, so, 
as I had reloaded with great speed to be prepared for eventu¬ 
alities, I had time to look about me, but could distinguish 
nothing—all being obscured in the bush. Not quite trusting 
the silence, I advanced carefully to the spot, halting every 
few yards and looking into the thicket, and when near enough, 
hurled a dead branch into the bush ; still no sign of life, so 
I walked up, and found the most beautiful black and tan 
yellow wild dog one could wish to see, dead, with the whole 
of his intestines and liver lying by his side. He had evidently 
been following the lion in hopes of offal. The bullet had struck 
on the clavicle and first rib, and expanding, had cut open the 
whole carcass down his right side, as the stroke of a sharp 
knife might have done. 
It was a tremendous take-in. I was as sure that it was 
a lion as of my own existence, and involuntarily thought some¬ 
how I had been juggled out of my legitimate game. The 
wildness of the koodoo and scarcity of other game in the 
immediate neighbourhood was explained. Where one wild dog 
is, there is usually a troop, and these persevering animals had 
been scouring the neighbourhood, scaring the wits out of every¬ 
thing susceptible to their teeth. A nice look-out for our pots. 
