n some faithful attendant beast,
watchfully following in his very steps. But though Jack's body was as
it were enchained, his mind was in a fearful state of activity; and not
only did he follow as if fascinated every step, but his thoughts even
went in advance, and he felt sick as he thought of the catastrophe about
to happen, seeming to see the lion make its final crouch and spring,
hearing too the boy's death-shriek; and as the actors in the terrible
scene drew nearer to him, Jack strove with all his might to cast off his
inaction.

On still, and in and out, in a heavy weary way, as if he could hardly
put one leg before the other, went poor Chicory; and slowly and
carefully followed the lion, the massive jaws thrust forward, and each
great paw raised and set down without a sound.

It could not have lasted more than a few minutes, this exciting scene,
but it seemed never ending to Jack as he sat there, till in one instant
he was roused back into action, and to try and the poor boy.

In his wanderings in and out, as has been said, Chicory came nearer to
where his young master sat, with his back to the trunk of the great
forest-tree, and more than once Jack wondered that the lion had not seen
him; though this was easily explainable--he remained perfectly
motionless, and the animal was intent upon his prey.

Chicory had come on nearer and nearer then, till he was not above thirty
yards from Jack, when, turning in amongst some long grass, the positions
were suddenly reversed, for in place of following the Zulu boy, the lion
crept round a clump of bushes so as to come face to face with him, and
then crouched ready to spring--just as Chicory stopped short, leaning
forward over something in the long grass, and, dropping his assegai,
uttered a piercing shriek.

Not thirty yards away, and just in face of where Jack was; and he knew
that Chicory had come upon something terrible, perhaps the body of his
brother, while he, Jack, had been sitting there quite unconscious, and
had even in his ignorance gone to sleep.

It was that cry that roused Jack into action, for, almost as the boy
dropped his assegai and leaned over that something in the long grass,
the lion gathered itself for its spring, and the watcher's rifle rose to
his shoulder. There was one quick aim--the sharp crack, followed by a
multitude of echoes; and Jack sprang to his feet and on one side, to
avoid the charge should the lion come his way.

There was a de