annot speak too highly of Mahina
for the splendid way in which he stood the charge. Had he acted as did
another gun-boy I know of, the affair might not have had so happy an
ending. This gun-boy went out with Captain G---- in this very
neighbourhood, and not long after our adventure. G---- came across a
lion just as we did, and wounded it. It charged down on them, but
instead of remaining absolutely still, the terrified gun-boy fled, with
the result that the lion came furiously on, and poor G---- met with a
terrible death.

While Mahina was scouring the neighbourhood in search of some natives
to carry the skin back to camp, I took a good look round the place and
found the half-eaten body of a zebra, which I noticed had been killed
out in the open and then dragged into the long grass. The tracks told
me, also, that all the work had been done by the lion, and this set me
thinking of the lioness. I accordingly swept the plain with my glasses
in the direction in which she had bounded off, and after some searching
I discovered her about a mile away, apparently lying down in the midst
of a herd of hartebeeste, who grazed away without taking any notice of
her. I felt much inclined to follow her up, but I was afraid that if I
did so the vultures that were already hovering around would settle on
my lion and spoil the skin, for the destruction of which these ravenous
birds are capable, even in the space of only a few minutes, is almost
beyond belief. I accordingly returned to the dead beast and sat down
astride of him. I had read that a frontal shot at a lion was a very
risky one, and on carefully examining the head it was easy to see the
reason; for owing to the sharp backward slope of the forehead it is
almost impossible for a bullet fired in this manner to reach the brain.
As there were lots of lions about in this district and as I wanted to
bag some more, I set myself to think out a plan whereby the risk of a
frontal shot might be got rid of. About a fortnight afterwards I had an
opportunity of putting my scheme into practice, happily with most
excellent results; this, however, is another story, which will be told
later on.

I next commenced to skin my trophy and found it a very tough job to
perform by myself. He proved to be a very fat beast, so I knew that
Mahina would make a few honest and well-earned rupees out of him, for
Indians will give almost anything for lion fat, believing that it is an
infallible cure for rheumat