MY FIRST LION HUNT.

carelessly standing a little in front. Suddenly, without having made
a sound, an enormous red-maned lion darted from the cave’s mouth,
reached the men in two bounds and bore both to the ground. Either
through fright, or from being stunned, neither of the fellows uttered a
ery. They lay asif dead. The lion, lashing his long tufted tail and
growling, stood over them, as though undecided which to finish first.

~He was not more than fifteen yards from me and I had all the
guns, but this was the first lion I had ever encountered, and I was ner-
vous. The bullet I fired at the back of the huge uplifted head struck
too low. Roaring, he turned from the prostrate blacks and came at
me; not leaping as before, but in a sort of crouching run.

It was an appalling sight. With ears laid back, bristling hair,
flaming eyes and exposed fangs, he looked with his sweeping mane a
demon of destructive power, and I had short time to reflect that if my
next shot did not kill him I should be torn to pieces, when he suddenly
stopped within ten feet of me and crouched lower still, and I had my
chance. Quick as lightning, I aimed between the cruel eyes and
touched the trigger. A thunderbolt could not have caused a more in-
stantaneous death. When
shot squarely through the
brain, the largest lon or
tiger is as easily killed as
a rabbit.

With a shout I looked
across to where Tom and
Joe had lain. Being but
slightly bruised, on seeing

Piety ean my peril, both had taken
to the nearest trees. Now
seeing the dread “ tao” dead, came down again.

But our dangerous sport was only beginning; I had just reloaded,
when in the distance we heard that’ peculiar sighing moan which pre-
cedes a lion’s roar, and then the hoarse, rumbling roar itself.

“ She-tao come!” exclaimed Joe, his swarthy face almost pale.

“Stand by me, you cowards,’ I commanded, putting a rifle in the