d of her
friendship with the Germans, and her probable connection with Georges
Coutlass and his riff-raff. I had not gone far either on my stroll or
with the problem--perhaps two hundred yards down a grassy track that
they had told me led toward a settlement--when something, not a sound,
not a smell, and certainly not sight, for I was staring at the ground,
caused me to look up. My foot was raised for a forward step, but what
I saw then made me set it down again.

To my right front, less than ten yards away, was a hillock about twice
my own height. To my left front, about twelve yards away was another,
slightly higher; and the track passed between them. On the right-hand
hillock stood a male lion, full maned, his forelegs well apart and the
dark tuft on the end of his tail appearing every instant to one side or
the other as he switched it cat-fashion. He was staring down at me
with a sort of scandalized interest; and there was nothing whatever
for me to do but stare at him. I had no weapon. One spring and a jump
and I was his meat. To run was cowardice as well as foolishness, the
one because the other. And without pretending to be able to read a
lion's thoughts I dare risk the assertion that he was puzzled what to
do with me. I could very plainly see his claws coming in and out of
their sheaths, and what with that, and the switching tail, and the
sense of impotence I could not take my eyes off him. So I did not look
at the other hillock at first.

But a sound like that a cat makes calling to her kittens, only greatly
magnified, made me glance to the left in a hurry. I think that up to
that moment I had not had time to be afraid, but now the goose-flesh
broke out all over me, and the sensation up and down my spine was of
melting helplessness.

On the left-hand hillock a lioness stood looking down with much
intenser and more curious interest. She looked from me to her mate,
and from her mate to me again with indecision that was no more
reassuring than her low questioning growl.

I do not know why they did not spring on me. Surely no two lions ever
contemplated easier quarry. No victim in the arena ever watched the
weapons of death more helplessly. I suppose my hour had not come.
Perhaps the lions, well used to white men who attacked on sight with
long-range weapons, doubted the wisdom of experiments on something new.

The lioness growled again. Her mate purred to her with an uprising
reassuring note