yet more game. And as I took my glasses from my eyes, and realized
how small a portion of this great land-sea I had been able to examine;
as I looked away to the ship-hills hull-down over the horizon, and
realized that over all that extent fed the Game; the ever-new wonder of
Africa for the hundredth time filled my mind-the teeming fecundity of
her bosom.

"Look here," said H. without removing his eye from the 'scope, "just
beyond the edge of that shadow to the left of the bushes in the
donga-I've been watching them ten minutes, and I can't make 'em out yet.
They're either hyenas acting mighty queer, or else two lionesses."

We snatched our glasses and concentrated on that important detail.

To catch the third experience you must have journeyed with us across the
"Thirst," as the natives picturesquely name the waterless tract of two
days and a half. Our very start had been delayed by a breakage of some
Dutch-sounding essential to our ox wagon, caused by the confusion of a
night attack by lions: almost every night we had lain awake as long as
we could to enjoy the deep-breathed grumbling or the vibrating roars of
these beasts. Now at last, having pushed through the dry country to
the river in the great plain, we were able to take breath from our mad
hurry, and to give our attention to affairs beyond the limits of mere
expediency. One of these was getting Billy a shot at a lion.

Billy had never before wanted to shoot anything except a python. Why a
python we could not quite fathom. Personally, I think she had some vague
idea of getting even for that Garden of Eden affair. But lately, pythons
proving scarcer than in that favoured locality, she had switched to a
lion. She wanted, she said, to give the skin to her sister. In vain
we pointed out that a zebra hide was very decorative, that lions go to
absurd lengths in retaining possession of their own skins, and other
equally convincing facts. It must be a lion or nothing; so naturally we
had to make a try.

There are several ways of getting lions, only one of which is at all
likely to afford a steady pot shot to a very small person trying to
manipulate an over-size gun. That is to lay out a kill. The idea is to
catch the lion at it in the early morning before he has departed for
home. The best kill is a zebra: first, because lions like zebra; second,
because zebra are fairly large; third, because zebra are very numerous.

Accordingly, after we had pitched camp just wi