I sidled over to Harry, meantime putting my gun at full cock and standing ready in case of a charge, and Harry doing the same thing.
"What shall we do?" whispered Harry. "Shall we back out or shoot the lions?"
"Do neither," said I; "stand where we are, backing just a little, enough to signify that we give up the chase; then I don't think the lions will molest us."
"Do you believe they'll tackle the elands, then?"
"Yes," I answered, "they probably will; and if we work it right, and the lions do what we want them to do, we'll bag the elands and the lions at the same time. See, that fellow's taking his gaze off us now, and they'll make a spring very soon."
We stood and watched and waited, but we did not have to wait long. The lions chose two of the elands—at least they acted as if they had done so, as they made a bound simultaneously; and in less time than it takes me to tell it they were on the backs of two of those animals. Both the elands fell, struck senseless by the blows of the lions' paws and by the grip of the powerful teeth just forward of the shoulder. The other elands ran away.
"Now's our chance," I said to Harry; "you get a bead on the one to the right, and I'll take the fellow on the left. They'll be so intent on their eating that they won't be likely to leave it to make a charge upon us. All the same, we'll keep under cover as much as we can."
We moved about till we got up in pretty close range. I said to Harry that we wanted to fire together as well as we could, but of course I realized that we might not get a good aim at the same time.
I was just raising my rifle to the shoulder in readiness to fire when I heard a crashing in the bush almost behind me. It sounded like a large animal, and was coming almost in my direction. I had not time to look around before a third lion bounded past me, not four feet away, and sprang upon one of the lions' as he was beginning his repast on the eland he had brought down!