224 TWO LIONS BAGGED.

Carefully taking its bearings, I lost no time in descending, in the hope of a shot ; in this, however, I was disappointed, for I never saw it again. The animal must have seen me on the hill, and made off. Unluckily, the ground was so hard and stony, that its feet had left no impression; but in any case, it would, most likely, have betaken itself to some thick covert, where I should have lost all trace of it. This was the first lion I had seen this year ; for I did not get a glimpse of those I went after with Lort Phillips and Aylmer, on the Settite. The only other I saw during my travels in Africa was at Furfur, on the borders of the Dembelas country ; and on that occasion, also, none of us obtained a shot.

Before arriving in camp, I heard that the others had shot two lions ; and, on getting there, I was delighted to find the news was true. My brothers were the fortunate sportsmen, each having bagged one. All four of the party that had remained at Toadelook had spent the night in watching; they had each chosen a different spot, near where they imagined, from the tracks they found, the lions might pass on their way to drink at the water. They had made small zaribas under bushes, in which they sat, each with a native holding a spare rifle. Immediately in front of the zariba, a sheep was tied as bait, without the game. Neither Aylmer nor Colvin was fortunate enough to see any lions, though they were roaring round them all night. My brother Arthur posted himself near the water, and William beneath a bush in an open space, to which paths frequented by lions led in all directions ; and he had in fact, that very morning, seen the tracks of five, passing close by the bush he selected to sit under.

It is difficult for any one, who has not had personal experience of this kind of sport, to realize adequately, how exciting it all is. Even buffalo-shooting at night is sufficiently attractive ;