MAN-EATER LIONESS 
321 
through the intestines; but, strange to say, under treatment 
this dog recovered from the wound, although shot right through 
from side to side. The natives cut the lions up after they were 
skinned, intending to eat the meat, and giving me a good oppor¬ 
tunity to examine the anatomy of the beasts, of which a striking 
feature is the comparatively enormous weight of the limbs. It 
was not considered out of the way for two natives to carry a 
quarter between them, instead of one walking off with what from 
its size appeared an easy load. 
With reference to the remark made at the commencement 
of this hunt, that the least retrograde movement would bring 
the lions on to me, I wish, by citing a case that occurred to me 
in Mashonaland, to prove that a lion is often influenced by the 
action of the hunter in his movements and actions. At Sugarloaf 
Hill, on the road between Salisbury and Umtali, Mr. Symington, 
the coach contractor, and myself were walking in the evening 
by quarter moonlight along the road with a native servant 
behind us. Suddenly he gave a yell and jumped forward past 
us. On looking round we saw a lioness in the dim light, close 
behind, in the act of following us up, evidently hoping that the 
fright her presence caused would bring about a stampede, when 
she would be able to pick her supper from our number. I 
turned on her at once, advancing with the rifle and smooth bore 
double gun I carried at full cock, ready for action, whereupon she 
cleared off* into a thicket standing in an open space on the left 
of the road. A cocky spaniel of mine accompanying us, pro¬ 
bably not knowing the nature of the beast, and mistaking it for 
a donkey, as she was accustomed to bay these animals at camp, 
when I urged her, went into the bush, and the lion came out 
after her with a rush, as she returned to heel for protection. 
I was not twenty-five yards from the bush as the lioness came 
out at the charge, and fully expected her to come right up, but 
as I made two steps towards her to feel my footing secure, ready 
to shoot as she came nearer, she thought better of her chances 
and veered off to the right, when I gave her a charge of buck¬ 
shot in the side, fired intentionally, because the shot barrel was 
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