About three hundred yards from the waggon was the crestof a rise covered with single mimosa trees， dotted about in apark-like fashion， and beyond this lay a stretch of open plainrunning down to a dry pan， or water-hole， which covered aboutan acre of ground， and was densely clothed with reeds， now inthe sere and yellow leaf. From the further edge of this pan theground sloped up again to a great cleft， or nullah， which hadbeen cut out by the action of the water， and was pretty thicklysprinkled with bush， amongst which grew some large trees， Iforget of what sort.
“It at once struck me that the dry pan would be a likely placeto find my friends in， as there is nothing a lion is fonder of thanlying up in reeds， through which he can see things withoutbeing seen himself. Accordingly thither I went and prospected.
Before I had got half-way round the pan I found the remainsof a blue vilderbeeste that had evidently been killed withinthe last three or four days and partially devoured by lions； andfrom other indications about I was soon assured that if thefamily were not in the pan that day they spent a good deal oftheir spare time there. But if there， the question was how toget them out； for it was clearly impossible to think of going inafter them unless one was quite determined to commit suicide.
Now there was a strong wind blowing from the direction ofthe waggon， across the reedy pan towards the bush-clad kloofor donga， and this first gave me the idea of firing the reeds，which， as I think I told you， were pretty dry. Accordingly Tomtook some matches and began starting little fires to the left，and I did the same to the right. But the reeds were still greenat the bottom， and we should never have got them well alighthad it not been for the wind， which grew stronger and strongeras the sun climbed higher， and forced the fire into them. Atlast， after half-an-hour’s trouble， the flames got a hold， andbegan to spread out like a fan， whereupon I went round to thefurther side of the pan to wait for the lions， standing well outin the open， as we stood at the copse to-day where you shotthe woodcock. It was a rather risky thing to do， but I used tobe so sure of my shooting in those days that I did not so muchmind the risk. Scarcely had I got round when I heard the reedsparting before the onward rush of some animal. ‘Now for it，’
said I. On it came. I could see that it was yellow， and preparedfor action， when instead of a lion out bounded a beautiful reitbok which had been lying in the shelter of the pan. It must， bythe way， have been a reit bok of a peculiarly confiding natureto lay itself down with the lion， like the lamb of prophesy， butI suppose 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， andkept my eyes fixed upon the reeds. The fire was burning likea furnace now； the flames crackling and roaring as they bitinto the reeds， sending spouts of fire twenty feet and moreinto the air， and making the hot air dance above in a way thatwas perfectly dazzling. But the reeds were still half green， andcreated an enormous quantity of smoke， which came rollingtowards me like a curtain， lying very low on account of thewind. Presently， above the crackling of the fire， I heard a startledroar， then another and another. So the lions were at home.
“I was beginning to get excited now， for， as you fellowsknow， there is nothing in experience to warm up your nerveslike a lion at close quarters， unless it is a wounded buffalo； andI became still more so when I made out through the smoke thatthe lions were all moving about on the extreme edge of thereeds. Occasionally they would pop their heads out like rabbitsfrom a burrow， and then， catching sight of me standing aboutfifty yards away， draw them back again. I knew that it must begetting pretty warm behind them， and that they could not keepthe game up for long； and I was not mistaken， for suddenlyall four of them broke cover together， the old black-manedlion leading by a few yards. I never saw a more splendid sightin all my hunting experience than those four lions boundingacross the veldt， overshadowed by the dense pall of smoke andbacked by the fiery furnace of the burning reeds.
“I reckoned that they would pass， on their way to the bushykloof， within about five and twenty yards of me， so， taking along breath， I got my gun well on to the lion’s shoulder—theblack-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 myfinger was just beginning to tighten on the trigger， whensuddenly I went blind—a bit of reed-ash had drifted into myright eye. I danced and rubbed， and succeeded in clearing itmore or less just in time to see the tail of the last lion vanishinground 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！ However， I was not going to bebeaten， so I just turned and marched for the kloof. Tom， thedriver， begged and implored me not to go， but though as ageneral rule I never pretend to be very brave （which I am not），I was determined that I would either kill those lions or theyshould kill me. So I told Tom that he need not come unless heliked， but I was going； and being a plucky fellow， a Swazi bybirth， he shrugged his shoulders， muttered that I was mad orbewitched， and followed doggedly in my tracks.