he went on; "the cartridge would
not move. I only hope that no other man will ever be put in such an
awful position. The lioness gathered herself together, and I gave myself
up for lost, when suddenly Tom shouted out from somewhere in my rear:

"'You are walking on to the wounded cub; turn to the right.'

"I had the sense, dazed as I was, to take the hint, and slewing round at
right angles, but still keeping my eyes on the lioness, I continued my
backward walk.

"To my intense relief, with a low growl she straightened herself,
turned, and bounded off farther up the kloof.

"'Come on, inkoos,' said Tom, 'let's get back to the waggon.'

"'All right, Tom,' I answered. 'I will when I have killed those three
other lions,' for by this time I was bent on shooting them as I never
remember being bent on anything before or since. 'You can go if you
like, or you can get up a tree.'

"He considered the position a little, and then he very wisely got up a
tree. I wish that I had done the same.

"Meanwhile I had found my knife, which had an extractor in it, and
succeeded after some difficulty in hauling out the case which had so
nearly been the cause of my death, and removing the obstruction in the
barrel. It was very little thicker than a postage-stamp; certainly not
thicker than a piece of writing-paper. This done, I loaded the gun,
bound a handkerchief round my wrist and hand to staunch the flowing of
the blood, and started on again.

"I had noticed that the lioness went into a thick green bush, or rather
cluster of bushes, growing near the water; for there was a little stream
running down the kloof, about fifty yards higher up and for this I made.
When I got there, however, I could see nothing, so I took up a big stone
and threw it into the bushes. I believe that it hit the other cub, for
out it came with a rush, giving me a broadside shot, of which I promptly
availed myself, knocking it over dead. Out, too, came the lioness like a
flash of light, but quick as she went I managed to put the other bullet
into her ribs, so that she rolled right over three times like a shot
rabbit. I instantly got two more cartridges into the gun, and as I did
so the lioness rose again and came crawling toward me on her fore paws,
roaring and groaning, and with such an expression of diabolical fury on
her countenance as I have not often seen. I shot her again through the
chest, and she fell over on to her side quite dead.

"That was the fir