sts
and read their tracks and signs like a book; men of a breed whose women
will not give themselves as wives except to men who have scored kills
of both royal game and men.

"_Sahib_ McMillan's personal _shikari_ was DJama Aout; mine, Abdi
Dereh. At the time of this incident the _Sahib_ had several lions to
his credit, while I yet had none. So the _Sahib_ kindly declared that,
however and by whomsoever jumped, the try at the next lion should be
mine. The section we were in was the usual 'lion country' of East
Africa, wide stretches of dry, level plain with occasional low rolling
hills, thinly timbered everywhere with the thorny mimosa, most of it
low bush, some grown to small trees twenty or thirty feet in height.

"To cover a wider range of shooting, we one day decided to divide the
camp, and I moved off about four miles and pitched my tent on a low
hill, which left the old camp in clear view across the plain. Early
the next morning I went out after eland and had an excellent morning's
sport. Returned to camp shortly after noon, tired and dusty, I took a
bath, got into pajamas and slippers, had my luncheon, and was sitting
comfortably smoking within my tent, when one of my men hurried in to
say a messenger was coming on a pony at top speed. Presently he
arrived, with word from the _Sahib_ that he had a big male lion at bay
in a thicket bordering the river and urging me to hurry to him.

"This my first chance at lion, I seized my rifle, mounted a pony,
without stopping to dress, and, followed by Abdi Dereh and another
_shikari_, dashed away behind the messenger at my pony's best pace.
Arrived, I found the _Sahib_ and about a dozen men, _shikaris_ and pony
men, surrounding a dense mimosa thicket no more than thirty or forty
yards in diameter. Nigh two-thirds of its circumference was bounded by
a bend of a deep stream the lion was not likely to try to cross, which
left a comparatively narrow front to guard against a charge.

"'Here you are, Don Carlos!' called the _Sahib_, as I jumped off my
pony. 'Here's your lion in the bush. Up to you to get him out. Djama
Aout and the rest will stay to help you while I go back and move the
caravan to a new camp-site. No suggestion to make, except I scarcely
think I'd go in the bush after him; too thick to see ten feet ahead of
you,' and away he rode toward his camp.

"The situation was simple, even to a novice at the game of
lion-shooting. With my line of shouting me