THE ROAR WAS FOLLOWED BY A SPRING.
Not only was the driver there, but all the Kafirs from the kraal; some were inside the wagon, some on top, and others standing on the wheels, or in any place where they could find clinging-room.
My driver got his gun out from the inside of the wagon, and then took a shot from the top of it; the recoil knocked him over and landed him on the top of my tent. It would have been a pretty serious fall for him had it not been for the tent, which broke the force of his tumble, and was badly broken up as the result.
As near as we could make out by the growling there was a family of lions, and they did not at all relish being disturbed at their meal. We all stayed in and around the wagon until daylight; the lions made off just before it came, and we ventured to descend.
I stayed in camp that day repairing damages and making ready for the lions in case they returned the next night, which I felt they were pretty sure to do. I had the men drag the remains of the ox to the best spot for getting a shot, right on the crest of a ridge a little higher up than the wagon, and about twenty-five yards from it. I had the carcass fastened down with stakes, so that they could not drag it away; then I dug a hole in the ground just under the rear of the wagon, so as to screen me and at the same time give me the horizon to shoot against.
Well, I had my revenge. The lions were there not later than an hour after dark; I heard them before seeing them, but I saw them very soon. The head of the family made his appearance first, and he stood up against the sky so that his whole figure was outlined, and I could determine just where to shoot. My greatest difficulty was to make out the front sight of my rifle; any sportsman will tell you that you cannot do any accurate shooting when the front sight is obscured. The best thing at night is to cover it with white paper, and this I did.
I gave Master Leo a shot just back of the shoulder that brought him to the ground instanter. Mrs. Leo next put in an appearance; she did not give me as fair a shot, but, under the circumstances, I do not think I ought to complain. The ball entered her body just a little forward of the tail, and to one side, and plowed along until near the foreshoulder, where it stopped. My driver fired just after me, and his shot was followed by a loud roar on the part of the lioness. After a few moments the sound subsided, or rather it came from farther and farther away. We waited awhile longer, and then, as everything was quiet, we went to bed.
Daylight the next morning repealed the lion, dead, close to the remains of the ox, my shot having killed him. The lioness was half a mile away with a broken foreleg, and the bullet in her skin as I have described. With her were two cub-lions, which I wanted ever so much to keep and take to the coast; but I saw that it would be impossible to do so, and so allowed my men to finish them off.
We removed the skins of all four lions, and I took them back with me as trophies. That will do for that story. Now I will come back to where we were.