A TALE OF THREE LIONS
Page: 21

were too depressed and tired, but because we had no more meat. For
three hours or more we wandered about in a broiling sun looking for
something to kill, but with absolutely no results. For some unknown
reason the game had grown very scarce about the spot, though when I
was there two years before every sort of large game except rhinoceros
and elephant was particularly abundant. The lions, of whom there were
many, alone remained, and I fancy that it was the fact of the game
they live on having temporarily migrated which made them so daring and
ferocious. As a general rule a lion is an amiable animal enough if he
is left alone, but a hungry lion is almost as dangerous as a hungry
man. One hears a great many different opinions expressed as to whether
or no the lion is remarkable for his courage, but the result of my
experience is that very much depends upon the state of his stomach. A
hungry lion will not stick at a trifle, whereas a full one will flee
at a very small rebuke.

"Well, we hunted all about, and nothing could we see, not even a
duiker or a bush buck; and at last, thoroughly tired and out of
temper, we started on our way back to camp, passing over the brow of a
steepish hill to do so. Just as we climbed the crest of the ridge I
came to a stand, for there, about six hundred yards to my left, his
beautiful curved horns outlined against the soft blue of the sky, I
saw a noble koodoo bull (/Strepsiceros kudu/). Even at that distance,
for as you know my eyes are very keen, I could distinctly see the
white stripes on its side when the light fell upon it, and its large
and pointed ears twitch as the flies worried it.

"So far so good; but how were we to get at it? It was ridiculous to
risk a shot at that great distance, and yet both the ground and the
wind lay very ill for stalking. It seemed to me that the only chance
would be to make a detour of at least a mile or more, and come up on
the other side of the koodoo. I called Harry to my side, and explained
to him what I thought would be our best course, when suddenly, without
any delay, the koodoo saved us further trouble by suddenly starting