the recollection gave me a moment of joy. A knife is not much
of a weapon with which to engage a lion in battle, especially if one
could not get at it; but where there is a knife there is hope. Something
hard was in my right hand--what was it? Why--what--it was my rifle! It
might as well, of course, be a hundred miles away at the present moment,
for I dared not move a finger to draw it towards me, and my arms were
both stretched at full length in front of me; but still, when the fatal
moment should arrive it _might_ come in useful, and the thought
encouraged and cheered me.

[Illustration: "Stalked while I myself stalked the water-buck."]

Meanwhile, was the beast falling asleep? Oh, if only he would, I
thought! The idea almost stopped my breathing, so fearful was I lest
anything I might do should keep my foe awake! I believe he did doze a
little. The pressure of the great paw upon my back seemed to relax a
trifle. I waited what seemed to me a quarter of an hour; then--my heart
in my mouth--I tried a tiny little wriggle. In a moment the pressure
increased, a roar rent the air, I thought my last moment had arrived and
a prayer came to my lips. I felt my left shoulder or upper arm seized.
'Heaven help me!' I muttered aloud--my head swam--I think I fainted for
a second. When I recovered consciousness I was being dragged through the
long grass.

(_Concluded on page 68._)

PEEPS INTO NATURE'S NURSERIES.

I.--THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE COMMON FROG

(_Concluded from page 12._)

We come now to the final stages in the life of the tadpole babies. These
are indicated by the appearance of a pair of tiny buds on each side of
the base of the tail; day by day they grow longer and longer, and
finally assume the form of the hind-leg of the adult. But as yet there
are no fore-legs. If, however, the little beast be carefully examined,
the missing limbs will be found tucked away under the throat, and in a
day or so the left arm is thrust through the breathing-hole, to be
followed shortly after by the right, which has to rupture the skin to
gain its freedom. As soon as this takes place, in a wild state the
tadpole comes of age, so to speak, and creeps ashore to assume his new
dignity of frog-hood. For a little while longer, however, he carries the
evidence of his infancy about with him, in the shape of a short, stumpy
tail; but in a very brief space the last remnant of this disappears, and
now, save in size, he cannot be distin