rkness, of the
carcass below, and sprang down to examine it. "I wonder how Nick will
get on with her?" exclaimed Frank. "He's no great shot. I think we had
better go down to the rescue. Just hold my gun, Ernest, while I slip
down."

Handing his rifle to his companion, he slid down the projecting face of
the precipice, feet first, and then called to Warley to lower his weapon
after him. Mr Lavie reached the shelf almost at the same moment, and
both pressed forward with some anxiety to see what was passing below.
The spectacle they beheld would have been extremely ludicrous, if it had
not been still more alarming.

Forgetting or disregarding Lavie's directions, Gilbert had laid aside
his gun as soon as his companions left him, and had gone to make an
examination of the lion--an animal which he had never before seen. He
was greatly struck by the enormous size and vast strength of creature,
and stood for a few moments considering whether he might not be able to
carry away some souvenir of the adventure. A lock of his shaggy mane,
or one of his huge teeth, were the first mementos which suggested
themselves to him. It would be difficult, however, to obtain one of the
last-named articles--that is without the help of certain tools which
they had not in their possession. No, it must be a lock of the
gentleman's hair, which could be easily enough to procure, and equally
easy to preserve, though the keepsake would be somewhat cumbrous. He
picked up the knife, which Frank had left on a slab of stone near the
entrance of the cave, and proceeded to choose the place whence the
ringlet was to be cut. Suddenly it occurred to him that the tuft at the
extremity of the tail would be extremely suitable for the purpose; or
why, by the way, should he not retain the entire tail? Mr Lavie had
been telling them, only that evening, of the practice adopted by the
Bushmen of wearing a belt round the waist, by which the pangs of hunger
were considerably mitigated. To judge by what happened yesterday, such
a belt might be extremely serviceable, and the skin of the lion's tail
would make a famous belt. At all events there could be no harm in
cutting the tail off; and this he effected easily enough by the aid of
Mr Lavie's hatchet. He was still engaged in examining his treasure by
the imperfect light, when a whirling noise was heard over head, and a
large object of some kind dropped within a few feet of him.

A good deal startled, Nic