The
Brute, However, Did Not Press His Charge Home:
And On Throwing Stones Into The Bushes Where
We Had Last Seen Him, We Guessed By The Silence
That He Had Slunk Off.
We therefore advanced
cautiously, and on getting up to the place
discovered that he had indeed escaped us, leaving
two off the goats scarcely touched.
Thinking that in all probability the lion would
return as usual to finish his meal, I had a very
strong scaffolding put up a few feet away from
the dead goats, and took up my position on it
before dark. On this occasion I brought my
gun-bearer, Mahina, to take a turn at watching,
as I was by this time worn out for want of sleep,
having spent so many nights on the look-out. I
was just dozing off comfortably when suddenly I
felt my arm seized, and on looking up saw
Mahina pointing in the direction of the goats.
"Sher!" ("Lion!") was all he whispered. I
grasped my double smooth-bore, which, I had
charged with slug, and waited patiently. In a
few moments I was rewarded, for as I watched
the spot where I expected the lion to appear,
there was a rustling among the bushes and I saw
him stealthily emerge into the open and pass
almost directly beneath us. I fired both barrels
practically together into his shoulder, and to
my joy could see him go down under the
force of the blow. Quickly I reached for
the magazine rifle, but before I could use it,
he was out of sight among the bushes, and I had
to fire after him quite at random.
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