n,
looking, not at me, but at my followers, who by this time were grouped
together and talking and gesticulating excitedly. This gave me a
splendid chance for a shoulder shot at about fifty yards' distance, so
I knelt down at once and fired after taking careful aim. The lioness
disappeared from sight instantly, and on looking over the top of the
grass I saw that my shot had told, as she was on her back, clawing the
air and growling viciously. As she looked to me to be done for, I
shouted to some of the men to remain behind and watch her, while I set
off once more at a run to try to catch up the lion. I feared that the
check with the lioness might have lost him to me altogether, but to my
relief I soon caught sight of him again. He had not made off very
quickly, and had probably stopped several times to see what I was up
to; indeed the men, who could see him all the time, afterwards told me
that when he heard the growl of rage from the lioness after she was
shot, he made quite a long halt, apparently deliberating whether he
should return to her rescue. Evidently, however, he had decided that
discretion was the better part of valour. Fortunately he was travelling
leisurely, and I was delighted to find that I was gaining on him fast;
but I had still to run about two hundred yards at my best pace, which,
at an altitude of more than 5,000 feet above sea-level, leaves one very
breathless at the end of it.

When the lion perceived me running towards him, he took up his station
under a tree, where he was half hidden by some low bushes, above which
only his head showed. Here he stood, watching my every movement and
giving vent to his anger at my presence in low, threatening growls. I
did not at all like the look of him, and if there had been another tree
close by, I should certainly have scrambled up it into safety before
attempting to fire. As a matter of fact, however, there was no shelter
of any kind at hand; so, as I meant to have a try for him at all costs,
I sat down where I was, about sixty yards from him, and covered his
great head with my rifle. I was so breathless after my run, and my arms
were so shaky, that it was all I could do to keep the sight on the
fierce-looking target and I thought to myself, as the rifle barrel
wobbled about, "If I don't knock him over with the first shot, he will
be out of these bushes and down on me like greased lightning--and then
I know what to expect." It was a most exciting moment, but