Part 8 (2/2)

The ly difficult to follow except under favourable circu theunbearer should be an expert trailer, for, outside the fact that following a soft-padded ani to do, the hunter should be free to spy ahead It is necessary also to possess much patience and to endure under many disappointments But on the other hand there is in this sport a continuous keen thrill to be enjoyed in no other; and he who single handed tracks down and kills his lion thus, has well earned the title of shi+kari-the Hunter

And the last method of all is to trust to the God of Chance The secret of success is to be always ready to take instant advantage of what the ood in itself: and the folloill also serve to illustrate what I have just been saying

We were after that prize, the greater kudu, and in his pursuit had penetrated into so was over broad bench, perhaps four or five e of mountains The bench itself broke down in sheer cliffs some fifteen hundred feet, but one did not appreciate that fact unless he stood fairly on the edge of the precipice To all intents and purposes ere on a rolling grassy plain, with low hills and cliffs, and adown it beneath fine trees

Up to now our hunting had gained us little beside inforion, that they had not been there for a month, and that the direction of their departure had been obscure So orked our way down the streaame there seemed to be a fair supply: i-sing, and giraffe we had seen I had secured a wonderful eland and a very fine iht with a cheetah Now C had gone out, a three weeks' journey, carrying to medical attendance a porter injured in the cheetah fracas Billy and I were continuing the hunt alone

This animal quite disproved the assertion that cheetahs never assued repeatedly

We had le tree near the edge of the bench After seeing everything well under way, I took the Springfield and crossed the stream, which here ran in a deep canyon My object was to see if I could get a sing-sing that had bounded away at our approach I did not bother to take a gunbearer, because I did not expect to be gone five h, and the strearowing patchily froh; and sularly, but very scattered These little trees hardly foration at sufficient distance li had evidently found his way over the edge of the bench I turned to go back to carass antelope-broke frorass, rushed, head down headlong after their fashi+on, suddenly changed his ain I stepped forward to see why he had changed his mind-and ran into two lions!

They were about thirty yards away, and sat there on their haunches, side by side, staring at me with expressionless yellow eyes I stared back

The Springfield is a good little gun, and three times before I had been forced to shoot lions with it, but un” hich I had done best as the 405 Winchester The Springfield is too light for such game Also there were two lions, very close Also I was quite alone

As the game stood, it hardly looked like my move; so I held still and waited Presently one yawned, they looked at each other, turned quite leisurely, and began to move away at a walk

This was a differentme, I should probably have had them both to deal with But now that their tails were turned toward me, I should very likely have to do with only the one: at the crack of the rifle the other would run the way he was headed So I took a careful bead at the lioness and let drive

My aim was to cripple the pelvic bone, but, unfortunately, just as I fired, the beast wriggled lithely sidewise to pass around a tuft of grass, so that the bullet inflicted ht flesh wound on the ruh to locate field hit a trifle harder blow Also I had tie in the barrel

The ed She was thoroughly angry and caold bead on her chest and to pull trigger

At the shot, to reat relief, she turned bottorass-an almost sure indication of a bad hit She thrashed around, and rowls I backed out slowly, rass was over knee high

Once at a safe distance I blazed a tree withknife and departed for camp, well pleased to be out of it At camp I ate lunch and had a smoke; then with Memba Sasa and Mavrouki returned to the scene of trouble I had now the 405 Winchester, a light and handy weapon delivering a treh My lioness had recovered froone first

The trail was not very plain, but it could be followed a foot or so at a time, with many faults and casts back I walked a yard to one side while theto the abundance of cover it was very nervous work, for the beast e We tried to keep a neutral zone around ourselves by tossing stones ahead of and on both sides of our line of advance My own position was not bad, for I had the rifle ready in er Of course I was protecting them as well as I could, but there was always a chance that the lionesson them in such a ested that as the as dangerous, they could quit if they wanted to

”Hapana!” they both refused indignantly

We had proceeded thus for half a ht ahead of us, sounded the corowl of the lion at bay

Instantly Memba Sasa and Mavrouki dropped back to me We all peered ahead One of the boys made her out first, crouched under a bush thirty-two yards away Even as I raised the rifle she saw us and charged I caught her in the chest before she had come ten feet The heavy bullet stopped her dead Then she recovered and started forward slowly, very weak, but game to the last Another shot finished her

The remarkable point of this incident was the action of the little Springfield bullet Evidently the very high velocity of this bullet fro blow sufficient to knock out the lioness for the tiht Inasmuch as the initial shock did not cause immediate death, the lioness recovered sufficiently to be able, two hours later, to take the offensive This point is of the greatest interest to the student of ballistics; but it is curious to even the ordinary reader