nstant he was up again and coming for me so
quickly that I had not even time to raise my rifle to my shoulder, but
fired point blank at him from my hip, delaying him for a second or so
as before. He was up again like lightning, and again at the muzzle of
my rifle; and this time I thought that nothing on earth could save me,
as I was almost within his clutches. Help came from an unexpected and
unconscious quarter, for just at this critical moment Roshan Khan
seemed all at once to realise the danger of the situation, and suddenly
fled for his life, screaming and shrieking with all his might. Beyond
all question this movement saved me, for the sight of something darting
away from him diverted the lion's attention from me, and following his
natural instinct, he gave chase instead to the yelling fugitive.

Roshan Khan having thus unwittingly rescued me from my perilous
position, it now became my turn to do all I could to save him, if this
were possible. In far less time than it takes to tell the story, I had
swung round after the pursuing lion, levelled my rifle and fired; but
whether because of the speed at which he was going, or because of my
over-anxiety to save my "boy", I missed him completely, and saw the
bullet raise the dust at the heels of a flying Masai. Like lightning I
loaded again from the magazine, but now the lion was within a spring of
his prey, and it seemed hopeless to expect to save poor Roshan Khan
from his clutches. Just at this moment, however, the terrified youth
caught sight of the brute over his left shoulder, and providentially
made a quick swerve to the right. As the lion turned to follow him, he
came broadside on to me, and just as he had Roshan Khan within striking
distance and was about to seize him, he dropped in the middle of what
would otherwise assuredly have been the fatal spring--bowled over with
a broken shoulder. This gave me time to run up and give him a final
shot, and with a deep roar he fell back full length on the grass,
stone-dead.

I then looked round to see if Roshan Khan was all right, as I was not
sure whether the lion had succeeded in mauling him or not. The sight
that met my eyes turned tragedy into comedy in an instant, and made me
roar with laughter; indeed, it was so utterly absurd that I threw
myself down on the grass and rolled over and over, convulsed with
uncontrollable mirth. For there was Roshan Khan, half-way up a thorn
tree, earnestly bent on getting to the very t