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diff --git a/old/66915-0.txt b/old/66915-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 69960f8..0000000 --- a/old/66915-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,976 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Spring of a Lion, by H. Rider Haggard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Spring of a Lion - -Author: H. Rider Haggard - -Release Date: December 9, 2021 [eBook #66915] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPRING OF A LION *** - - - - - - - THE - - SPRING OF A LION - - - - BY - - H. RIDER HAGGARD, - - - _Neely's Booklet Series. No. 26, June 26, 1899. Issued weekly - $5.00 a year. Entered as second-class matter - at New York Post Office._ - - - - F. TENNYSON NEELY, - PUBLISHER, - LONDON. NEW YORK. CHICAGO. - - - - -THE SPRING OF A LION. - - -The story which is narrated in the following pages came to me from -the lips of my old friend Allan Quatermain, or Hunter Quatermain, as -we used to call him in South Africa. He told it to me one evening -when I was stopping with him at the place he bought in Yorkshire. -Shortly after that, the death of his only son so unsettled him that -he immediately left England, accompanied by two companions, who were -old fellow-voyagers of his, Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good, and -has now utterly vanished into the dark heart of Africa. He is -persuaded that a white people, of whom he has heard rumors all his -life, exists somewhere on the highlands in the vast, still unexplored -interior, and his great ambition is to find them before he dies. -This is the wild quest upon which he and his companions have -departed, and from which I shrewdly suspect they never will return. -One letter only have I received from the old gentleman, dated from a -mission station high up the Tana, a river on the east coast, about -three hundred miles north of Zanzibar; in it he says they have gone -through many hardships and adventures, but are alive and well, and -have found traces which go far toward making him hope that the -results of their wild quest may be a "magnificent and unexampled -discovery." I greatly fear, however, that all he has discovered is -death; for this letter came a long while ago, and nobody has heard a -single word of the party since. They have totally vanished. - -It was on the last evening of my stay at his house that he told the -ensuing story to me and Captain Good, who was dining with him. He -had eaten his dinner and drunk two or three glasses of old port, just -to help Good and myself to the end of the second bottle. It was an -unusual thing for him to do, for he was a most abstemious man, having -conceived, as he used to say, a great horror of drink from observing -its effects upon the class of men--hunters, transport riders, and -others--among whom he had passed so many years of his life. -Consequently, the good wine took more effect on him than it would -have done on most men, sending a little flush into his wrinkled -cheeks, and making him talk more freely than usual. - -Dear old man! I can see him now, as he went limping up and down the -vestibule, with his gray hair sticking up in scrubbing-brush fashion, -his shrivelled yellow face, and his large dark eyes, that were as -keen as any hawk's and yet soft as a buck's. The whole room was hung -with trophies of his numerous hunting expeditions, and he had some -story about every one of them, if only you could get him to tell -them. Generally he would not, for he was not very fond of narrating -his own adventures, but to-night the port wine made him more -communicative. - -"Ah, you brute!" he said, stopping beneath an unusually large skull -of a lion, which was fixed just over the mantelpiece, beneath a long -row of guns, its jaws distended to their utmost width. "Ah, you -brute! you have given me a lot of trouble for the last dozen years, -and will, I suppose, to my dying day." - -"Tell us the yarn, Quatermain," said Good. "You have often promised -to tell me, and have not." - -"You had better not ask me to," he answered, "for it is a longish -one." - -"All right," I said, "the evening is young, and there is some more -port." - -Thus adjured, he filled his pipe from a jar of coarse-cut Boer -tobacco that was always standing on the mantelpiece, and still -walking up and down the room, began: - -"It was, I think, in the March of 1869 that I was up in Sikukuni's -country. It was just after old Sequati's time, and Sikukuni had got -into power--I forget how. Any way, I was there. I had heard that -the Bapedi people had got down an enormous quantity of ivory from the -interior, and so I started with a wagon-load of goods, and came -straight away from Middelburg to try and trade some of it. It was a -risky thing to go into the country so early, on account of the fever, -but I knew that there were one or two others after that lot of ivory, -so I determined to have a try for it, and take my chance of fever. I -had got so tough from continual knocking about that I did not set it -down at much. Well, I got on all right for awhile. It is a -wonderfully beautiful piece of bush veldt, with great ranges of -mountains running through it, and round granite koppies starting up -here and there, looking out like sentinels over the rolling waste of -bush. But it is very hot--hot as a stew-pan--and when I was there -that March, which, of course, is autumn in that part of Africa, the -whole place reeked of fever. Every morning, as I trekked along down -by the Oliphant River, I used to creep out of the wagon at dawn and -look out. But there was no river to be seen--only a long line of -billows of what looked like the finest cotton wool tossed up lightly -with a pitchfork. It was the fever mist. Out from among the scrub, -too, came little spirals of vapor, as though there were hundreds of -tiny fires alight in it--reek rising from thousands of tons of -rotting vegetation. It was a beautiful place, but the beauty was the -beauty of death; and all those lines and blots of vapor wrote one -great word cross the surface of the country, and that word was -'fever.' - -"It was a dreadful year of illness, that. I came, I remember, to one -little kraal of Knobnoses, and went up to see if I could get some -_maas_ (curdled buttermilk) and a few mealies. As I got near, I was -struck with the silence of the place. No children began to chatter, -and no dogs barked. Nor could I see any native sheep or cattle. The -place, though it had evidently been recently inhabited, was as still -as the bush round it, and some guinea fowl got up out of the prickly -pear bushes right at the kraal gate. I remember that I hesitated a -little before going in, there was such an air of desolation about the -spot. Nature never looks desolate when man has not yet laid his hand -upon her breast; she is only lonely. But when man has been and has -passed away, then she looks desolate. - -"Well, I passed into the kraal, and went up to the principal hut. In -front of the hut was something with an old sheepskin _kaross_ (rug) -thrown over it. I stooped down and threw off the rug, and then -shrank back amazed, for under it was the body of a young woman, -recently dead. For a moment I thought of turning back, but my -curiosity overcame me; so going past the woman, I went down on my -hands and knees and crept into the hut. It was so dark that I could -not see anything, though I could smell a great deal--so I lit a -match. It was a 'tand-stickor' match, and burnt slowly and dimly, -and as the light gradually increased I made out what I thought was a -lot of people, men, women, and children, fast asleep. Presently it -burnt up brightly, and I saw that they, too, five of them altogether, -were quite dead. One was a baby. I dropped the match in a hurry, -and was making my way out of the hut as hard as I could go, when I -caught sight of two bright eyes staring out of a corner. Thinking it -was a wildcat or some such animal, I redoubled my haste, when -suddenly a voice near the eyes began first to mutter, and then to -send up a succession of awful yells. Hastily I lit another match, -and perceived that the eyes belonged to an old woman, wrapped up in a -greasy leather garment. Taking her by the arm, I dragged her out, -for she could not, or would not, come by herself, and the stench was -overpowering me. Such a sight as she was--a bag of bones, covered -over with black, shrivelled parchment. The only white thing about -her was her wool, and she seemed to be pretty well dead except for -her eyes and her voice. She thought that I was a devil come to take -her, and that is why she yelled so. Well, I got her down to the -wagon, and gave her a "tot" of Cape smoke, and then, as soon as it -was ready, poured about a pint of beef-tea down her throat, made from -the flesh of a blue vilderbeeste I had killed the day before, and -after that she brightened up wonderfully. She could talk -Zulu--indeed, it turned out that she had run away from Zululand in -T'Chaka's time--and she told me that all the people that I had seen -had died of fever. When they had died, the other inhabitants of the -kraal had taken the cattle and gone away, leaving the poor old woman, -who was helpless from age and infirmity, to perish of starvation or -disease, as the case might be. She had been sitting there for three -days among the bodies when I found her. I took her on to the next -kraal, and gave the headman a blanket to look after her, promising -him another if I found her well when I came back. I remember that he -was much astonished at my parting with two blankets for the sake of -such a worthless old creature. 'Why did I not leave her in the -bush?' he asked. Those people carry the doctrine of the survival of -the fittest to its extreme, you see. - -"It was the night after I had got rid of the old woman that I made my -first acquaintance with my friend yonder," and he nodded toward the -skull that seemed to be grinning down at us in the shadow of the wide -mantelshelf. "I had trekked from dawn till eleven o'clock--a long -trek--but I wanted to get on; and then had the oxen turned out to -graze, sending the voorlooper to look after them, meaning to inspan -again about six o'clock, and trek with the moon till ten. Then I got -into the wagon and had a good sleep till half-past two or so in the -afternoon, when I got up and cooked some meat, and had my dinner, -washing it down with a pannikin of black coffee--for it was difficult -to get preserved milk in those days. Just as I had finished, and the -driver, a man called Tom, was washing up the things, in comes the -young scoundrel of a voorlooper driving one ox before him. - -"'Where are the other oxen?' I asked. - -"'Koos!' he said, 'Koos! (chief), the other oxen have gone away. I -turned my back for a minute, and when I looked round again, they were -all gone except Kaptein here, who was rubbing his back against a -tree.' - -"'You mean that you have been asleep, and let them stray, you -villain. I will rub your back against a stick,' I answered, feeling -very angry, for it was not a pleasant prospect to be stuck up in that -fever trap for a week or so while we were hunting for the oxen. 'Off -you go, and you too, Tom, and mind you don't come back till you have -found them. They have trekked back along the Middelburg Road, and -are a dozen miles off by now, I'll be bound. Now, no words; go, both -of you.' - -"Tom, the driver, swore and caught the lad a hearty kick, which he -richly deserved, and then, having tied old Kaptein up to the -disselboom with a reim, they got their assegais and sticks and -started. I would have gone too, only I knew that somebody must look -after the wagon, and I did not like to leave either of the boys with -it at night. I was in a very bad temper indeed, although I was -pretty well used to these sort of occurrences, and soothed myself by -taking a rifle and going to kill something. For a couple of hours I -poked about without seeing anything that I could get a shot at, but -at last just as I was again within seventy yards of the wagon, I put -up an old Impala ram from behind a mimosa thorn. He ran straight for -the wagon, and it was not till he was passing within a few feet of it -that I could get a decent shot at him. Then I pulled, and caught him -halfway down the spine; over he went, dead as a doornail, and a -pretty shot it was, though I ought not to say it. This little -incident put me into rather a better temper, especially as the buck -had rolled over right against the after part of the wagon, so I had -only to gut him, fix a reim round his legs, and haul him up. By the -time I had done this the sun was down, and the full moon was up, and -a beautiful moon it was. And then there came down that wonderful -hush that sometimes falls over the African bush in the early hours of -the night. No beast was moving, and no bird called. Not a breath of -air stirred the quiet trees, and the shadows did not even quiver; -they only grew. It was very oppressive and very lonely, for there -was not a sign of the cattle or the boys. I was quite thankful for -the society of old Kaptein, who was lying down contentedly against -the disselboom, chewing the cud with a good conscience. - -"Presently, however, Kaptein began to get restless. First he -snorted, then he got up and snorted again. I could not make it out, -so like a fool I got down off the wagon-box to have a look round, -thinking it might be the lost oxen coming. - -"Next instant I regretted it, for all of a sudden I heard an awful -roar and saw something yellow flash past me and light on poor -Kaptein. Then came a bellow of agony from the ox, and a crunch as -the lion put his teeth through the poor brute's neck, and I began to -realize what had happened. My rifle was in the wagon, and my first -thought was to get hold of it, and I turned and made a bolt for it. -I got my foot on the wheel and flung my body forward on to the wagon, -and there I stopped as if I was frozen, and no wonder, for as I was -about to spring up I heard the lion behind me, and next second I felt -the brute--ay, as plainly as I can feel this table--I felt him, I -say, sniffing at my left leg that was hanging down. - -"My word! I did feel queer; I don't think that I ever felt so queer -before. I dared not move for the life of me, and the odd thing was -that I seemed to lose power over my leg, which had an insane sort of -inclination to kick out of its own mere motion--just as hysterical -people want to laugh when they ought to be particularly solemn. -Well, the lion sniffed and sniffed, beginning at my ankle and slowly -nosing away up to my thigh. I thought that he was going to get hold -then, but he did not. He only growled softly, and went back to the -ox. Shifting my head a little I got a full view of him. He was the -biggest lion I ever saw--and I have seen a great many--and he had a -most tremendous black mane. What his teeth were like you can -see--look there, pretty big ones, ain't they? Altogether he was a -magnificent animal, and as I lay there sprawling on the fore-tongue -of the wagon, it occurred to me that he would look uncommonly well in -a cage. He stood there by the carcass of poor Kaptein, and -deliberately disemboweled him as neatly as a butcher could have done. -All this while I dared not move, for he kept lifting his head and -keeping an eye on me as he lifted his bloody chops. When he had -cleaned Kaptein out, he opened his mouth and roared, and I am not -exaggerating when I say that the sound shook the wagon. Instantly -there came back an answering roar. - -"'Heavens!' I thought, 'there is his mate!' - -"Hardly was the thought out of my head when I caught sight in the -moonlight of the lioness bounding along through the long grass, and -after her a couple of cubs about the size of mastiffs. She stopped -within a few feet of my head, and stood and waved her tail, and fixed -me with her glowing yellow eyes; but just as I thought that all was -over, she turned, and began to feed on Kaptein, and so did the cubs. -There were the four of them within eight feet of me, growling and -quarreling, rending and tearing and crunching poor Kaptein's bones; -and there I lay, shaking with terror, and the cold perspiration -pouring out of me, feeling like another Daniel come to judgment, in a -new sense of the phrase. Presently the cubs had eaten their fill, -and began to get restless. One went round to the back of the wagon -and pulled at the Impala buck that hung there, and the other came -round my way and began the sniffing game at my leg. Indeed, he did -more than that, for, my trousers being hitched up a little, he began -to lick the bare skin with his rough tongue. The more he licked, the -more he liked it, to judge from his increased vigor and the loud -purring noise he made. Then I knew that the end had come, for in -another second his file-like tongue would have rasped through the -skin of my leg--which was luckily pretty tough--and have got to the -blood, and then there would be no chance for me. So I just lay there -and thought of my sins, and prayed to the Almighty, and thought that, -after all, life was a very enjoyable thing. - -"And then all of a sudden I heard a crashing of bushes, and the -shouting and whistling of men, and there were the two boys coming -back with the cattle which they had found trekking along all -together. The lions lifted their heads and listened, and then -without a sound bounded off--and I fainted. - -"The lions came back no more that night, and by the next morning my -nerves had got pretty straight again; but I was full of wrath when I -thought of all that I had gone through at the hands, or rather noses, -of those four lions, and of the fate of my after ox Kaptein. He was -a splendid ox, and I was very fond of him. So wroth was I that, like -a fool, I determined to go for the whole family of them. It was -worthy of a greenhorn out on his first hunting trip; but I did it, -nevertheless. Accordingly, after breakfast, having rubbed some oil -upon my leg, which was very sore from the cub's tongue, I took the -driver, Tom, who did not half like the job, and having armed myself -with an ordinary double No. 12 smoothbore, the first breechloader I -ever had, I started. I took the smoothbore because it shot a bullet -very well; and my experience has been that a round ball from a -smoothbore is quite as effective against a lion as an express bullet. -The lion is soft, and not a difficult animal to finish if you hit him -anywhere in the body. A buck takes far more killing. - -"Well, I started, and the first thing I set to work to do was to try -to make out whereabouts the brutes lay up for the day. About three -hundred yards from the wagon was the crest of a rise covered with -single mimosa trees, dotted about in a park-like fashion, and beyond -this was a stretch of open plain running down to a dry pan, or -waterhole, which covered about an acre of ground, and was densely -clothed with reeds, now in the sere and yellow leaf. From the -further edge of this pan the ground sloped up again to a great cleft, -or nullah, which had been out out by the action of water and was -pretty thickly sprinkled with bush, among which grew some large -trees, I forget of what sort. - -"It at once struck me that the dry pan would be a likely place to -find my friends in, as there is nothing a lion is fonder of than -lying up in reeds, through which he can see things without being seen -himself. Accordingly thither I went and prospected. Before I had -got halfway round the pan I found the remains of a blue vilderbeeste, -that had evidently been killed within the last three or four days and -partially devoured by lions; and from other indications about I was -soon assured that, if the family were not in the pan that day, they -spent a good deal of their spare time there. But if there, the -question was how to get them out; for it was clearly impossible to -think of going in after them unless one was quite determined to -commit suicide. Now, there was a strong wind blowing from the -direction of the wagon, across the reedy pan toward the bush-clad -kloof, or donga, and this first gave me the idea of firing the reeds, -which, as I think I told you, were pretty dry. Accordingly, Tom took -some matches and began starting little fires to the left, and I did -the same to the right. But the reeds were still green at the bottom, -and we should never have got them well alight had it not been for the -wind, which got stronger and stronger as the sun got higher, and -forced the fire into them. At last, after half an hour's trouble, -the flame got a hold, and began to spread out like a fan, whereupon I -got round to the farther side of the pan to wait for the lions, -standing well out in the open, as we stood at the copse to-day where -you shot the woodcock. It was a rather risky thing to do, but I used -to be so sure of my shooting in those days that I did not so much -mind the risk. Scarcely had I got round when I heard the reeds -parting before the onward rush of some animal. 'Now for it,' said I. -On it came. I could see that it was yellow, and prepared for action, -when, instead of a lion, out bounded a beautiful reit-bok, which had -been lying in the shelter of the pan. It must, by the way, have been -a reit-bok of a peculiarly confiding nature to lay itself down with -the lion like the lamb of prophecy, but, I suppose that the reeds -were thick, and that it kept a long way off. - -"Well, I let the reit-bok go, and it went like the wind, and I kept -my eyes fixed upon the reeds. The fire was burning like a furnace -now; the flames crackling and roaring as they bit into the reeds, -sending spouts of fire twenty feet and more into the air, and making -the hot air dance above it in a way that was perfectly dazzling. But -the reeds were still half-green, and created an enormous quantity of -smoke, which came rolling toward me like a curtain, lying very low on -account of the wind. Presently, above the crackling of the fire, I -heard a startled roar, then another and another. So the lions were -at home. - -"I was beginning to get excited now, for, as you fellows know, there -is nothing in experience to warm up your nerves like a lion at close -quarters, unless it is a wounded buffalo; and I got still more so -when I made out through the smoke that the lions were all moving -about on the extreme edge of the reeds. Occasionally they would pop -their heads out like rabbits from a burrow, and then, catching sight -of me standing about fifty yards out, draw them back again. I knew -that it must be getting pretty warm behind them, and that they could -not keep the game up for long; and I was not mistaken, for suddenly -all four of them broke cover together, the old black-maned lion -leading by a few yards. I never saw a more splendid sight in all my -hunting experience than those four lions bounding across the veldt, -overshadowed by the dense pall of smoke and backed by the fiery -furnace of the burning reeds. - -"I reckoned that they would pass, on their road to the bushy kloof, -within about twenty-five yards of me, so, taking a long breath, I got -my gun well on to the lion's shoulder--the black-maned one--so as to -allow for an inch or two of motion, and catch him through the heart. -I was on, dead on, and my finger was just beginning to tighten on the -trigger, when suddenly I went blind--a bit of reed-ash had drifted -into my right eye. I danced and rubbed, and got it more or less -clear just in time to see the tail of the last lion vanishing round -the bushes up the kloof. - -"If ever a man was mad, I was that man. It was too bad; and such a -shot in the open, too! However, I was not going to be beaten, so I -just turned and marched for the kloof. Tom, the driver, begged and -implored me not to go, but though as a general rule I never pretended -to be very brave (which I am not), I was determined that I would -either kill those lions or they should kill me. So I told Tom that -he need not come unless he liked, but I was going; and being a plucky -fellow, a Swazi by birth, he shrugged his shoulders, muttered that I -was mad or bewitched, and followed doggedly in my tracks. - -"We soon got to the kloof, which was about three hundred yards in -length and but sparsely wooded, and then the real fun began. There -might be a lion behind every bush--there certainly were four lions -somewhere; the delicate question was where. I peeped and poked and -looked in every possible direction, with my heart in my mouth, and -was at last rewarded by catching a glimpse of something yellow moving -behind a bush. At the same moment, from another bush opposite me out -burst one of the cubs and galloped back toward the burnt-out pan. I -whipped round and let drive a snapshot that tipped him head over -heels, breaking his back within two inches of the root of the tail, -and there he lay, helpless but glaring. Tom afterward killed him -with his assegai. I opened the breech of the gun, and hurriedly -pulled out the old case, which, to judge from what ensued, must, I -suppose, have burst and left a portion of its fabric sticking to the -barrel. At any rate, when I tried to get in the new case it would -only enter halfway; and--would you believe it?--this was the moment -that the lioness, attracted, no doubt, by the outcry of her cub, -chose to put in an appearance. There she stood, twenty paces or so -from me, lashing her tail, and looking just as wicked as it is -possible to conceive. Slowly I stepped backward, trying to push in -the new case, and as I did so, she moved on in little runs, dropping -down after each run. The danger was imminent, and the case would not -go in. At the moment I oddly enough thought of the cartridge-maker -whose name I will not mention, and earnestly hoped that, if the -lioness got me, some condign punishment would overtake him. It would -not go in, so I tried to pull it out. It would not come out, either, -and my gun was useless if I could not shut it to use the other -barrel. I might as well have had no gun. Meanwhile I was walking -backward, keeping my eye on the lioness, who was creeping forward on -her belly without a sound, but lashing her tail and keeping her eye -on me; and in it I saw that she was coming in a few seconds more. I -dashed my wrist and the palm of my hand against the brass rim of the -cartridge till the blood poured from them--look, there are the scars -of it to this day!" - -Here Quatermain held up his right hand to the light, and showed us -seven or eight white cicatrices just where the wrist is set into the -hand. - -"But it was not of the slightest use," he went on; "the cartridge -would not move. I only hope that no other man will ever be put in -such an awful position. The lioness gathered herself together, and I -gave myself up for lost, when suddenly Tom shouted out from somewhere -in my rear: - -"'You are walking on to the wounded cub; turn to the right.' - -"I had the sense, dazed as I was, to take the hint, and slewing round -at right-angles, but still keeping my eyes on the lioness, I -continued my backward walk. - -"To my intense relief, with a low growl she straightened herself, -turned, and bounded off further up the kloof. - -"'Come on, Inkoos,' said Tom, 'let's get back to the wagon.' - -"'All right, Tom,' I answered. 'I will when I have killed those -three other lions,' for by this time I was bent on shooting them as I -never remember being bent on anything before or since. 'You can go -if you like, or you can get up a tree.' - -"He considered the position a little, and then he very wisely got up -a tree. I wish that I had done the same. - -"Meanwhile I had got out my knife, which had an extractor in it, and -succeeded after some difficulty in hauling out the case which had so -nearly been the cause of my death, and removing the obstruction in -the barrel. It was very little thicker than a postage-stamp; -certainly not thicker than a piece of writing-paper. This done, I -loaded the gun, bound my handkerchief round my wrist and hand to -stanch the flowing of the blood, and started on again. - -"I had noticed that the lioness went back into a thick green bush, or -rather cluster of bushes, growing near the water, for there was a -little stream running down the kloof, about fifty yards higher up, -and for this I made. When I got there, however, I could see nothing, -so I took up a big stone and threw it into the bushes. I believe -that it hit the other cub, for out it came with a rush, giving me a -broadside shot, of which I promptly availed myself, knocking it over -dead. Out, too, came the lioness like a flash of light, but quick as -she went, I managed to put the other bullet into her ribs, so that -she rolled right over three times like a shot rabbit. I instantly -got two more cartridges into the gun, and as I did so, the lioness -got up again and came crawling toward me on her fore-paws, roaring -and groaning, and with such an expression of diabolical fury on her -countenance as I have not often seen. I shot her again through the -chest, and she fell over on to her side quite dead. - -"That was the first and last time that I ever killed a brace of lions -right and left, and, what is more, I never heard of anybody else -doing it. Naturally I was considerably pleased with myself, and -having again loaded up, went on to look for the black-maned beauty -which had killed Kaptein. Slowly and with the greatest care I -proceeded up the kloof, searching every bush and tuft of grass as I -went. It was wonderfully exciting work, for I never was sure from -one moment to another but that he would be on me. I took comfort, -however, from the reflection that a lion rarely attacks a -man--rarely, I say; sometimes he does, as you will see--unless he is -cornered or wounded. - -"I must have been out for nearly an hour hunting after the lion. -Once I thought I saw something move in a clump of tambouki grass, but -I could not be sure, and when I trod out the grass I could not find -him. - -"At last I got up to the head of the kloof, which made a cul-de-sac. -It was formed of a wall of rock about fifty feet high. Down this -rock trickled a little waterfall, and in front of it, some seventy -feet from its face, was a great piled-up mass of bowlders, in the -crevices and on the top of which grew ferns and grass and stunted -bushes. This mass was about twenty-five feet high. The sides of the -kloof here were also very steep. Well, I got up to the top of the -nullah and looked all around. No signs of the lion. Evidently I had -either overlooked him further down, or he had escaped right away. It -was very vexatious; but still three lions were not a bad bag for one -gun before dinner, and I was fain to be content. Accordingly I -departed back again, making my way round the isolated pillar of -bowlders, and beginning to feel that I was pretty well done up with -excitement and fatigue, and should be more so before I had skinned -those three lions. When I had got, as nearly as I could judge, about -eighteen yards past the pillar or mass of bowlders, I turned to have -another look round. I have a pretty sharp eye, but I could see -nothing at all. - -"Then, on a sudden, I saw something sufficiently alarming, On the top -of the mass of bowlders opposite to me, standing out clear against -the rock beyond, was the huge black-maned lion. He had been -crouching there, and now arose as though by magic. There he stood, -lashing his tail, just like a statue of the animal on the gateway of -Northumberland House that I have seen a picture of. But he did not -stand long. Before I could fire--before I could do more than get the -gun to my shoulder--he sprang straight up and out from the rock, and -driven by the impetus of that one mighty bound came hurtling through -the air toward me. - -"Heavens! how grand he looked, and how awful! High into the air he -flew, describing a great arc. Just as he touched the highest point -of his spring I fired. I did not dare to wait, for I saw that he -would clear the whole space and land right upon me. Without a sight, -almost without aim, I fired as one would fire a snapshot at snipe. -The bullet told, for I distinctly heard its thud above the rushing -sound caused by the passage of the lion through the air. Next second -I was swept to the ground (luckily I fell into a low creeper-clad -bush, which broke the shock), and the lion was on the top of me, and -the next those great white teeth of his had met in my thigh--I heard -them grate against the bone, I yelled out in agony, for I did not -feel in the least benumbed and happy, like Dr. Livingstone--whom, by -the way, I knew very well--and gave myself up for dead. But -suddenly, as I did so, the lion's grip on my thigh loosened, and he -stood over me, swaying to and fro, his huge mouth, from which the -blood was gushing, wide opened. Then he roared, and the sound shook -the rocks. - -"To and fro he swung, and suddenly the great head dropped on me, -knocking all the breath from my body, and he was dead. My bullet had -entered in the center of his chest and passed out on the right side -of the spine about halfway down the back. - -"The pain of my wound kept me from fainting, and, as soon as I got my -breath, I managed to drag myself from under him. Thank heavens! his -great teeth had not crushed my thigh bone; but I was losing a great -deal of blood, and had it not been for the timely arrival of Tom, -with whose aid I got the handkerchief off my wrist and tied it round -my leg, twisting it tight with a stick, I think I should have bled to -death. - -"Well, it was a just reward for my folly in trying to tackle a family -of lions single-handed. The odds were too long. I have been lame -ever since, and shall be till my dying day; in the month of March the -wound always troubles me a great deal, and every three years it -breaks out raw. I need scarcely add that I never traded the lot of -ivory at Sikukuni's. Another man got it--a German--and made five -hundred pounds out of it, after paying expenses. I spent the next -month on the broad of my back, and was a cripple for six months after -that. And now I've told you the yarn, so I will have a drop of -Hollands and go to bed." - - - -THE END. - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SPRING OF A LION *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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