"There!" cried d.y.k.e, after they had ridden round twice. "I knew it.

While we were talking on one side, they've crept out on the other and gone off! They're miles away now."

"Exactly!" said Emson; "and that's why the horses are so uneasy. I say, little un, you don't get on so fast as I should like with your hunting knowledge. Look at Breezy."

d.y.k.e glanced at his cob, and the little horse showed plainly enough by its movements that whatever might be its master's opinion, it was feeling convinced that the lions were pretty close at hand.

"Well, what shall we do--ride through?"

"No," said Emson decidedly, "that would be inviting a charge. I'm afraid we must separate, or we shall never got a shot. As we ride round one side, they creep along on the other."

"Did you see them?"

"No, but look there."

d.y.k.e looked where his brother pointed, and saw plainly marked in the soft sand the footprints of the lions.

"Well, let's separate, then," said the boy eagerly. "I'll mind and not shoot your way, if you'll take care not to hit me."

"Very good: we'll try, then; but be careful not to fire unless you get a good sure chance. Look here; this will be the best plan. One of us must sit fast here while the other rides round."

"But the one who stops will get the best chance, for the game will be driven towards him. Who's to stop?"

Emson thrust his hand into his pocket, and drew it out again clenched.

"Something or nothing?" he cried.

"Nothing," said d.y.k.e sharply.

"Nothing. Right. Your chance," said Emson.

"Then I'll stay here?"

"Very well then; be ready. I shall ride ahead, and the lions will sneak round till they find you are here, and then they'll either go right across, or break cover and gallop off. There's every chance for a shot.

Right forward in the shoulder, mind."

"Won't charge me, will they?"

"Not unless they're wounded," replied Emson.--"Ready?"

"Yes."

Emson rode slowly off, and as he went he kept on crying "Here!" at every half-dozen yards or so, giving his brother a good idea of his position and that of the lions too.

Meanwhile d.y.k.e, with his heart beginning to beat heavily, sat facing in the other direction, both barrels of his rifled piece c.o.c.ked and pointed forward, nostrils distended like those of his horse, and, also like the animal, with every sense on the alert.

"Here--here--here," came from beyond him, and gradually working more and more to the left, while d.y.k.e felt a great deal more respect for the prowess and daring of lions than he did half an hour before.

The stillness, broken only by his brother's recurring cry, repeated with such regularity, seemed awful, and the deep low sigh uttered by Breezy sounded quite startling; but there was nothing else--no sound of the powerful cats coming cautiously round, winding in and out among the rocks and bushes, and not a twig was stirred.

"Here--here--here," kept coming, and d.y.k.e sat gripping the saddle tightly with his knees, feeling a curious quiver pa.s.s into him from the horse's excited nerves, as the swift little beast stood gazing before it at the ragged shrubs, ready to spring away on the slightest sign of danger. The rein lay upon its neck, and its ears were c.o.c.ked right forward, while d.y.k.e's double barrel was held ready to fire to right or left of those warning ears at the first chance.

There was the clump on the boy's left, the open ground of the veldt on his right, and the sun glancing down and making the leaves of the trees hot; but still there was nothing but the regular "Here--here--here,"

uttered in Emson's deep ba.s.s.

"They're gone," said d.y.k.e to himself, with a peculiar sense of relief, which made his breath come more freely. "They would have been here by now. I'll shout to Joe."

But he did not. For at that moment there was the faintest of faint rustles about a dozen yards in front. One of the thin bushes grew gradually darker, and d.y.k.e had a glimpse of a patch of rough hair raised above the leaves. Then Breezy started violently, and in an instant two lions started up.

"_How_!--_Haugh_!" was roared out. The maneless lion bounded out of the bushes, and went away over the sand in a series of tremendous leaps, while the companion, a huge beast with darkly-tipped mane, leaped as if to follow, but stopped and faced the boy, with head erect and tail lashing from side to side, while the horse stood paralysed with fear, its legs far apart, as if to bear the coming charge, and every nerve and muscle on the quiver.

d.y.k.e sat motionless during those brief moments, knowing that he ought to fire, but feeling as if he were suffering from nightmare, till the majestic beast before him gave vent to a tremendous roar, turned, and bounded away.

Then d.y.k.e's power of action came back. Quick as a flash, his piece was to his shoulder, and he fired; but the lion bounded onward, hidden for the time by the smoke; yet as it cleared away, the boy had another clear view of the beast end on, and fired once more.

At this there was a savage snarl; the lion made a bound sidewise, and then swung round as if to charge back at its a.s.sailant, when Breezy tore off at full speed, but had not gone fifty yards before another shot rang out, and d.y.k.e looked round to see his brother dismounted and kneeling on the sand, while the lion was trailing itself along with its hind-quarters paralysed.

In another minute Emson had remounted and ridden up to the dangerous beast; there was another report from close quarters, and the lion rolled over and straightened itself out.

"Dead?" cried d.y.k.e excitedly, as he mastered Breezy's objections, and rode up.

"Yes; he'll kill no more of our oxen, old chap," cried his brother.

"Well done, little un! You stopped him splendidly. That last shot of yours brought him up for me to finish."

"Think I hit him, then?"

"Think?" said Emson, laughing. "You can easily prove it. Your bullet must have hit him end on. Mine were on his left flank."

"He _is_ dead, isn't he?" said d.y.k.e dubious.

"As dead as he can well be," said Emson, dismounting, and throwing his rein over his horse's head. "Yes; here we are. Your bullet caught him half-way up the back here; one of mine hit him in the side, and here's the other right through the left shoulder-blade. That means finis. But that shot of yours regularly paralysed him behind. _Your_ lion, little un, and that skin will do for your museum. It's a beauty."

"But _you_ killed him," said the boy modestly.

"Put him out of his misery, that's all. He is a splendid fellow, though. But he won't run away now, little un.--Let's get on."

"But his skin?" said d.y.k.e eagerly.

"Too hard a job now, d.y.k.e, under this sun. We'll come over this evening with Jack, and strip that off. Now for the eggs."

CHAPTER SEVEN.

LIFE ON THE VELDT.

The task of finding the emptied ostrich nest proved harder than they expected; but their ride across the barren plain was made interesting by the sight of a herd of gnus and a couple of the beautiful black antelope, with their long, gracefully curved, sharp horns. Just before reaching the nest, too, they had the rather unusual sight, in their part, of half-a-dozen giraffes, which went off in their awkward, lumbering trot toward the north.

At last, though, the nest was reached, the scattered eggs gathered into the net, and heedless of these c.h.i.n.king together a little, as they hung between them, they cantered on.