ntly, and his face portended big tidings.

"What is it--elephant?" asked Burt. Mvita grinned and shook his head,
then murmured one word.

"_Simba!_"

"Lion!" echoed Critch, who knew the native term. "Come on, Burt!"

Without hesitation the two boys turned away and followed the native
guide. The latter led them to the right for some distance, and as no
sign of lion showed up Burt became impatient.

"Where--" he began, when the native stopped, clicked his tongue, and
pointed with his spear. Ahead of them the boys caught sight of a small
lioness trotting away from a clump of thick bushes. Burt, grabbing for
his rifle, ran forward eagerly. Critch's bearer was a Bantu, who handed
over the heavy gun but refused absolutely to advance. The two boys ran
forward in order to cut off the trotting lioness from a stretch of
rushes for which she was making.

They were barely fifty yards from the clump of bushes when they both
stopped short at a shrill yell from Mvita, who had followed them
closely, at the same instant Burt saw something appear at the edge of
the bushes. Then came a low, muttering growl, and a huge black-maned
lion appeared, his red mouth open, gazing steadily at the hunters. Burt
pulled up his rifle and fired quickly. The growl ended in a snarl, and
the lion rolled over.

"Hurray!" shouted Burt, "I landed him--"

"Look out!" yelled Critch, and the explosion of his rifle almost
deafened his chum. As Burt had fired, three more lionesses had appeared
among the bushes, following the first! Two disappeared, but Critch's
shot stopped the last one, not killing her. He put another bullet into
her shoulder and she lay still. While he ran forward to make sure of his
prize, Burt, followed by Mvita, turned toward the lion. The great beast
lay perfectly still. Three of the Bantus had run up, and were standing
within a few yards of him.

They were gathered in a group near his tail, admiring and yet afraid to
touch him. Burt remembered his uncle's warnings about the remarkable
tenacity of life often shown by lions, and stopped when fifty feet away.
The lion was still breathing, but lay motionless. Concluding that if he
paid no attention to the chattering natives he would remain quiet for a
finishing shot, Burt and Mvita ran onward, the chief displaying no fear
whatever, unlike the Bantus.

They approached from his rear, and assuming that he was unable to rise,
Burt stepped around for a good shot at the eye, which would n