I Feared
That The Check With The Lioness Might Have Lost
Him To Me Altogether, But To My Relief I Soon
Caught Sight Of Him Again.
He had not made off
very quickly, and had probably stopped several
times to see what I was up
To; indeed the men,
who could see him all the time, afterwards told
me that when he heard the growl of rage from
the lioness after she was shot, he made quite a
long halt, apparently deliberating whether he
should return to her rescue. Evidently,
however, he had decided that discretion was the better
part of valour. Fortunately he was travelling
leisurely, and I was delighted to find that I was
gaining on him fast; but I had still to run about
two hundred yards at my best pace, which, at an
altitude of more than 5,000 feet above sea-level,
leaves one very breathless at the end of it.
When the lion perceived me running towards
him, he took up his station under a tree, where
he was half hidden by some low bushes, above
which only his head showed. Here he stood,
watching my every movement and giving vent
to his anger at my presence in low, threatening
growls. I did not at all like the look of him,
and if there had been another tree close by, I
should certainly have scrambled up it into safety
before attempting to fire. As a matter of fact,
however, there was no shelter of any kind at
hand; so, as I meant to have a try for him at
all costs, I sat down where I was, about sixty
yards from him, and covered his great head with
my rifle.
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