ess,
for it was she, passed so quickly that we could not even distinguish her
movements, much less fire. Indeed at night it is absolutely useless to
attempt to shoot unless the object is very close and standing perfectly
still, and then the light is so deceptive and it is so difficult to see
the foresight that the best shot will miss more often than he hits.

"'She will be back again presently,' I said; 'look out, but for Heaven's
sake don't fire unless I tell you to.'

"Hardly were the words out of my mouth when back she came, and again
passed the ox without striking him.

"'What on earth is she doing?' whispered Harry.

"'Playing with it as a cat does with a mouse, I suppose. She will kill
it presently.'

"As I spoke, the lioness once more flashed out of the bush, and this
time sprang right over the doomed and trembling ox. It was a beautiful
sight to see her clear him in the bright moonlight, as though it were a
trick which she had been taught.

"'I believe that she has escaped from a circus,' whispered Harry; 'it's
jolly to see her jump.'

"I said nothing, but I thought to myself that if it was, Master Harry
did not quite appreciate the performance, and small blame to him. At any
rate, his teeth were chattering a little.

"Then came a longish pause, and I began to think that the lioness must
have gone away, when suddenly she appeared again, and with one mighty
bound landed right on to the ox, and struck it a frightful blow with her
paw.

"Down it went, and lay on the ground kicking feebly. She put down her
wicked-looking head, and, with a fierce growl of contentment, buried her
long white teeth in the throat of the dying animal. When she lifted
her muzzle again it was all stained with blood. She stood facing us
obliquely, licking her bloody chops and making a sort of purring noise.

"'Now's our time,' I whispered, 'fire when I do.'

"I got on to her as well as I could, but Harry, instead of waiting for
me as I told him, fired before I did, and that of course hurried me.
But when the smoke cleared, I was delighted to see that the lioness was
rolling about on the ground behind the body of the ox, which covered her
in such a fashion, however, that we could not shoot again to make an end
of her.

"'She's done for! she's dead, the yellow devil!' yelled Pharaoh
in exultation; and at that very moment the lioness, with a sort of
convulsive rush, half-rolled, half-sprang, into the patch of thick bush
to the r