ight. I fired after her as she went, but so far as I could see
without result; indeed the probability is that I missed her clean. At
any rate she got to the bush in safety, and once there, began to make
such a diabolical noise as I never heard before. She would whine and
shriek with pain, and then burst out into perfect volleys of roaring
that shook the whole place.

"'Well,' I said, 'we must just let her roar; to go into that bush after
her at night would be madness.'

"At that moment, to my astonishment and alarm, there came an answering
roar from the direction of the river, and then another from behind
the swell of bush. Evidently there were more lions about. The wounded
lioness redoubled her efforts, with the object, I suppose, of summoning
the others to her assistance. At any rate they came, and quickly too,
for within five minutes, peeping through the bushes of our skerm fence,
we saw a magnificent lion bounding along towards us, through the tall
tambouki grass, that in the moonlight looked for all the world like
ripening corn. On he came in great leaps, and a glorious sight it was to
see him. When within fifty yards or so, he stood still in an open space
and roared. The lioness roared too; then there came a third roar, and
another great black-maned lion stalked majestically up, and joined
number two, till really I began to realize what the ox must have
undergone.

"'Now, Harry,' I whispered, 'whatever you do don't fire, it's too risky.
If they let us be, let them be.'

"Well, the pair marched off to the bush, where the wounded lioness
was now roaring double tides, and the three of them began to snarl and
grumble away together there. Presently, however, the lioness ceased
roaring, and the two lions came out again, the black-maned one first--to
prospect, I suppose--walked to where the carcass of the ox lay, and
sniffed at it.

"'Oh, what a shot!' whispered Harry, who was trembling with excitement.

"'Yes,' I said; 'but don't fire; they might all of them come for us.'

"Harry said nothing, but whether it was from the natural impetuosity of
youth, or because he was thrown off his balance by excitement, or from
sheer recklessness and devilment, I am sure I cannot tell you, never
having been able to get a satisfactory explanation from him; but at
any rate the fact remains, he, without word or warning, entirely
disregarding my exhortations, lifted up his Westley Richards and fired
at the black-maned lion, and, w