"It was very awful for the time, I must acknowledge," replied Alexander. "What an enormous brute! I think I never saw such a magnificent skin.
"It is yours by the laws of war," said the Major.
"Nay," replied Alexander, "it was you that gave him his coup de grace"
"Yes, but if you had not broken his leg, he might have given some of us our coup de grace. No, no, the skin is yours. Now the horses are off, and we can not send for the Hottentots. They have got rid of Omrah, who is coming back with his shirt torn into tatters."
"The men will catch the horses and bring them here, depend upon it, sir," said Bremen, "and then they can take off the skin."
"Well, if I am to have the lion's skin, I must have that of the lioness also, Major; so we must finish our day's hunting with forcing her to join her mate."
"Very good, with all my heart."
"Better wait till the men come with the horses, sir," said Bremen; "three guns are too few to attack a lion—very great danger indeed."
"Bremen is right, Alexander; we must not run such a risk again. Depend upon it, if the animal's leg had not been broken, we should not have had so easy a conquest. Let us sit down quietly till the men come up."
In about half an hour, as Bremen had conjectured, the Hottentots, perceiving the horses loose, and suspecting that something had happened, went in chase of them, and as soon as they had succeeded in catching them, brought them in the direction to which they had seen our travelers ride. They were not a little astonished at so small a party having ventured to attack a lion, and gladly prepared for the attack of the lioness. Three of the dogs having accompanied them, it was decided that they should be put into the bushes where the lioness was lying when the Major fired at her, so as to discover where she now was; and leaving the lion for the present, they all set off for the first jungle.