gether, after which we all proceeded in
a body. I have always thought that it was I who had the greatest escape
of all; for had I gone on, as Gordon proposed, with only one, or at the
outside two boys, I should most probably have been attacked."

A little later the Bishop had an even narrower escape from a
justly-enraged lion and lioness--

"Presently, while hunting for insects in short mimosa tangle up to the
knee, I disturbed a strange-looking animal, about the size of a sheep,
brownish colour, long tail, short legs, feline in aspect and movement,
but quite strange to me. I took my gun and shot it dead--yes, quite
dead. Away tore my boy as fast as his legs would carry him, terrified
beyond measure at what I had done! What, indeed? you may well ask. I had
killed the cub of a lioness! Terror was written on every line and
feature of the lad, and dank beads of perspiration stood on his face. I
saw it as he passed me in his flight, and his fear for the moment
communicated itself to me. I turned to flee, and had gone a few paces,
when I heard a savage growl, and a tremendous lioness--I say advisedly a
tremendous one--bounded straight at me.

"In spite of the loaded gun in my hand, it seemed to me that I was
lost. The boy knew more about lions than I did, and his fear knew no
bounds. I began to realise that I was in a dangerous situation, for a
lioness robbed of her whelp is not the most gentle creature to deal
with. I retreated hastily. No; I will out with it, children, in plain
language--I ran five or six steps; every step she gained upon me, and
the growls grew fiercer and louder. Do I say _she_ gained?--_they_
gained, for the lion was close behind her, and both were making straight
for me. They will pause at the dead cub? No; they take no notice of it;
they come at me. What is to be done?

"It now struck me that retreat was altogether wrong. Like a cat with a
mouse, it induced them to follow. Escape in this manner was impossible.
I halted, and just at that moment came a parting yell from my boy,
'Hakuna! Kimbia!'

"I thought he had seen and heard the lion and lioness, and that,
speaking as he does bad Kiswahili, he had said, 'Kakuna Kimbia!' which
might be roughly, though wrongly, translated, 'Don't run away!' instead
of which he meant to say--in fact, did say--'No! Run away!'

"I have no hesitation in saying that a stop wrongly read but rightly
made saved my life. I had in the second or two that had elapsed
deter