318 
THE NEW AFRICA 
the short grass, when my foot struck something on the ground, 
which in the darkness had not been quite apparent enough to 
attract attention. On looking down I discovered in the twilight 
that it was the gun, and peering round I found that the carcase of 
the ox, the mark I had been looking for, was gone, and the bushes 
forming the hedge were scattered broadcast about the grass. 
Before I actually realised the position, a low muttered growl on 
my right warned me that there were lions in the scrub not 
many feet away. Taken by surprise, I must admit that some¬ 
thing was wrong with me for a moment. My head swam as 
the blood surged through my brain. Fortunately I did not 
move, and immediately collected my scattered thoughts with a 
great effort. Quietly I hauled another cartridge from my belt 
to be held in readiness for quick loading, and then edged closer 
to the bush for the purpose of making a clear spring from a 
lion impossible through the thicket. Meanwhile it was growing 
a little lighter, and I could just distinguish the outlines of 
branches and trees in the immediate neighbourhood. It was an 
extremely ticklish position, and I thank my stars for remaining 
cool; for it was certain that the least retrograde movement 
would bring the lions on to me. The muttered growling, in 
coarse intermittent rumbling notes, continued for what seemed 
to me several minutes, when with a crash a large greyish- 
looking object bounded out to my right front, on to the bank 
above. Instead of shooting, I held my fire, warned by an 
extra heavy growl that there was still another lion lying in the 
scrub a few feet away from me. Another crash and this one 
too sprang on to the bank to the left of where the first 
landed, and as he touched the bank I sent a bullet obliquely 
through his body from the left flank out in front of the 
right shoulder. With a roar that sent Mar teens off at a gallop 
with the horses, the beast plunged into the bush. I loaded 
so instinctively that I had to examine the gun again to 
convince myself that it was really charged, and waited on the 
spot for many minutes for the coming day-light to enable me 
to see more clearly. There was yet a lion not accounted for 
