that he would soon become the attacking party.

"Load both your guns again," said Alexander, "and then let me have a
shot, Major."

As soon as the Major's guns were loaded, Alexander took aim and fired.
The shot broke the lion's fore-leg, which he raised up with a voice of
thunder, and made a spring from the rock toward where our party stood.

"Steady now," cried the Major to Bremen, at the same time handing his
spare rifle to Alexander.

The rush of the angry animal was heard through the bushes advancing
nearer and nearer; and they all stood prepared for the encounter. At
last out the animal sprang, his mane bristling on end, his tail straight
out, and his eyeballs flashing rage and vengeance. He came down upon the
hind-quarters of one of the horses, which immediately started off,
overthrowing and dragging Omrah to some distance. One of the lion's legs
being broken, had occasioned the animal to roll off on the side of the
horse, and he now remained on the ground ready for a second spring, when
he received a shot through the back from Bremen, who stood behind him.
The lion, with another dreadful roar, attempted to spring upon the
Major, who was ready with his rifle to receive him; but the shot from
Bremen had passed through his spine and paralyzed his hind-quarters, and
he made the attempt in vain, a second and a third time throwing his
fore-quarters up in the air, and then falling down again, when a bullet
from the Major passed through his brain. The noble beast sunk down,
gnawing the ground and tearing it with the claws of the leg which had
not been wounded, and then, in a few seconds, breathed his last.

"I am glad that is over, Alexander," said the Major; "it was almost too
exciting to be pleasant."

"It was very awful for the time, I must acknowledge," replied Alexander.
"What an enormous brute! I think I never saw such a magnificent skin.

"It is yours by the laws of war," said the Major.

"Nay," replied Alexander, "it was you that gave him his _coup de grace_"

"Yes, but if you had not broken his leg, he might have given some of us
our _coup de grace_. No, no, the skin is yours. Now the horses are off,
and we can not send for the Hottentots. They have got rid of Omrah, who
is coming back with his shirt torn into tatters."

"The men will catch the horses and bring them here, depend upon it,
sir," said Bremen, "and then they can take off the skin."

"Well, if I am to have the lion's skin, I must have tha