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 dignity.

But in vain did we beg him to be content with his luck and the honours he had won.
"Why ?" he answered, "Adams wounded the beast, and I'd rather kill two lions than one; also I have a score to square.