ugh still holding it
in his mouth, and threw himself back on his haunches, preparing for a
spring, at the same time curling back his lips and exposing his long
tusks in a savage snarl. I knew then that I had not a moment to spare,
so I threw the rifle up to my shoulder and pulled the trigger. Imagine
my utter despair and horror when it did not go off! "Misfire again," I
thought, and my heart almost stopped beating. As took a step backwards,
I felt it was all over no for he would never give me time to extract
the cartridge and load again. Still I took another step backwards,
keeping my eyes fixed on the lion's, which were blazing with rage; and
in the middle of my third step, just as the brute was gathering himself
for his spring, it suddenly struck me that in my haste and excitement,
I had forgotten that I was using a borrowed rifle and had not pulled
back the hammer (my own was hammerless). To do this and put a bullet
through the lion's brain was then the work of a moment; and he fell
dead instantly right on the top of Bhoota.

We did not lose a moment in rolling his great carcase off Bhoota's body
and quickly forced opening the jaws so as to disengage the mangled arm
which still remained in his mouth. By this time the poor shikari was in
a fainting condition, and we flew to the tonga for the brandy flask
which we had so providentially brought with us. On making a rough
examination of the wounded man, we found that his left arm and right
leg were both frightfully mauled, the latter being broken as well. He
was lifted tenderly into the tonga--how thankful we now were to have it
with us!--and Spooner at once set off with him to camp and the doctor.

Before following them home I made a hasty examination of the dead lion
and found him to be a very good specimen in every way. I was
particularly satisfied to see that one of the two shots I had fired as
he charged down upon me had taken effect. The bullet had entered below
the right eye, and only just missed the brain. Unfortunately it was a
steel one which Spooner had unluckily brought in his ammunition bag by
mistake; still one would have thought that a shot of this kind, even
with a hard bullet, would at least have checked the lion for the
moment. As a matter of fact, however, it went clean through him without
having the slightest stopping effect. My last bullet, which was of soft
lead, had entered close to the right eye and embedded itself in the
brain. By this time it h