recovering her nerves, squatted down on the prostrate Higgs, and though
he hit at her with his fists, dropped her muzzle, evidently with the
intention of biting him through the head.

Now I felt that if I hesitated any more, all would be finished. The
lioness was much longer than Higgs--a short, stout man--and her hind
quarters projected beyond his feet. At these I aimed rapidly, and,
pressing the trigger, next second heard the bullet clap upon the great
beast's hide. Up she sprang with a roar, one hind leg dangling, and
after a moment's hesitation, fled toward the sand-hill.

Now Orme, who was behind me, fired also, knocking up the dust beneath
the lioness's belly, but although he had more cartridges in his rifle,
which was a repeater, before either he or I could get another chance,
it vanished behind a mound. Leaving it to go where it would, we ran on
towards Higgs, expecting to find him either dead or badly mauled,
but, to our amazement and delight, up jumped the Professor, his blue
spectacles still on his nose, and, loading his rifle as he went, charged
away after the wounded lioness.

"Come back," shouted the Captain as he followed.

"Not for Joe!" yelled Higgs in his high voice. "If you fellows think
that I'm going to let a great cat sit on my stomach for nothing, you are
jolly well mistaken."

At the top of the first rise the long-legged Orme caught him, but
persuade him to return was more than he, or I when I arrived, could do.
Beyond a scratch on his nose, which had stung him and covered him
with blood, we found that he was quite uninjured, except in temper and