About forty yards from me
the grass was high and dry.
About half an hour after the guns were posted we heard the whistles, and
shortly after, the smoke rose in various places until at last a crescent
of fire spread over the hill. The wind was very light, therefore the
fire travelled slowly, and the game advanced at an easy pace. I now
heard shots upon my left at the extreme flank, where I had posted a few
of the best shots of the "Forty Thieves," including Ferritch Ajoke.
I saw the game breaking covert in herds of several hundreds in that
direction. Presently Abd-el-Kader had a shot upon my right, and I
observed several antelopes bounding along upon the clear space in our
rear.
I was not in luck, but I now saw a splendid buck leucotis walking
quietly through the grass, and slowly descending the slope to the green
hollow, which would bring him straight towards me should he keep this
direction.
Just at that moment I saw a long yellow tail rise suddenly from the
green hollow, and an instant later I saw a fine lion, with tail erect,
that had evidently been disturbed by the advancing fire.
The lion was down wind of the buck leucotis, which was now close to the
unseen enemy, and was just descending the bank which dipped into the
green hollow: this would bring the antelope almost upon the lion's back.
The two animals suddenly appeared to touch each other as the leucotis
jumped down the bank, and the lion sprang to one side, apparently as
much startled as the antelope, which bounded off in another direction,.
The lion now disappeared in the high grass, with the head towards my
position.
I whispered to my boys not to be afraid should it appear close to us,
and at the same time I took the spare gun from; Bellal, and laid it
against the ant-hill to be in readiness. This was a breechloader, with
buckshot cartridges for small antelopes.
In a few minutes I heard a distinct rustling in the high grass before
me. The two boys were squatting on the ground to my right.
Presently a louder rustling in the grass, within forty yards in my
front, was followed by the head and shoulders of a large lioness, who
apparently saw the two boys, and with her brilliant eyes fixed, she
advanced slowly towards them.
Not wishing to allow a closer acquaintance, I aimed at her chest, and
fired the "Dutchman."
The lioness rolled completely over, backwards, and three times she
turned convulsive somersaults, at the same time roaring tremendously;
but to my astonishment she appeared to recover, and I immediately fired
my left-hand barrel. At this she charged in high bounds straight towards
my two boys.
I had just time to snatch up my spare gun and show myself from behind
the ant-hill, when the lioness, startled by my sudden appearance,
turned, and I fired a charge of buck-shot into her hind-quarters as she
disappeared in the high grass upon my right.
I now heard her groaning in a succession of deep guttural sounds, within
fifty yards of me.
In a few minutes I heard a shot from Abd-el-Kader, and he shortly came
to tell me that the wounded lioness, with her chest and shoulder covered
with blood, had come close to his hiding-place; he had fired, and had
broken her ankle joint, but she was still concealed in the grass.
Shooli and Gimoro now came up with some of the natives, as they had
heard the lioness roar, and feared some accident might have happened.
These were very plucky fellows, and they at once proposed to go close up
and spear her in the grass, if I would back them up with the rifles.
We arrived at the supposed spot, and after a search we distinguished a
yellowish mass within some withered reeds.
Shooli now proposed that he should throw his spear, upon which the
lioness would certainly charge from her covert and afford us a good
shot, if the guns were properly arranged.
I would not allow this, but I determined to fire a shot at the yellow
mass to bring her out, if every one would be ready to receive her.
Lieutenant Baker was on my right, with a double-barrelled express rifle
that carried a No. 70 bullet. This minute projectile was of little use
against the charge of a lion.
I fired into the mass at about twenty yards' distance.
The immediate reply was a determined charge, and the enraged animal came
bounding towards us with tremendous roars. The natives threw their
spears but missed her. Mr. Baker fired, but neither he nor a left-hand
barrel from the "Dutchman" could check her. Everybody had to run, and I
luckily snatched a breechloading No. 12 smooth-bore loaded with ball
from a panic-stricken lad, and rolled her over with a shot in the chest
when she was nearly in the midst of us.
She retreated with two or three bounds to her original covert.
I had now reloaded the "Dutchman," and having given orders that every
one should keep out of the way, and be ready, I went close up to the
grass with Shooli, and quickly discovered her. She was sitting up like a
dog, but was looking in the opposite direction, as though expecting an
enemy in that quarter.
I was within twelve yards of her, and I immediately put a bullet in the
back of her neck, which dropped her dead.
In her inside we discovered a freshly-eaten leucotis calf, which had
been simply divided by her teeth in lumps of about two pounds each.
