Not wishing to allow a closer acquaintance, I aimed at her chest, and fired the "Dutchman."
The lioness rolled completely over, backwards, and three times she turned convulsive somersaults, at the same time roaring tremendously; but to my astonishment she appeared to recover, and I immediately fired my left-hand barrel. At this she charged in high bounds straight towards my two boys.
I had just time to snatch up my spare gun and show myself from behind the ant-hill, when the lioness, startled by my sudden appearance, turned, and I fired a charge of buck-shot into her hind-quarters as she disappeared in the high grass upon my right.
I now heard her groaning in a succession of deep guttural sounds, within fifty yards of me.
In a few minutes I heard a shot from Abd-el-Kader, and he shortly came to tell me that the wounded lioness, with her chest and shoulder covered with blood, had come close to his hiding-place; he had fired, and had broken her ankle joint, but she was still concealed in the grass.
Shooli and Gimoro now came up with some of the natives, as they had heard the lioness roar, and feared some accident might have happened.
These were very plucky fellows, and they at once proposed to go close up and spear her in the grass, if I would back them up with the rifles.
We arrived at the supposed spot, and after a search we distinguished a yellowish mass within some withered reeds.
Shooli now proposed that he should throw his spear, upon which the lioness would certainly charge from her covert and afford us a good shot, if the guns were properly arranged.
I would not allow this, but I determined to fire a shot at the yellow mass to bring her out, if every one would be ready to receive her.