He Was Up
Again Like Lightning, And Again At The Muzzle
Of My Rifle; And This Time I Thought That Nothing
On Earth Could Save Me, As I Was Almost Within
His Clutches.
Help came from an unexpected
and unconscious quarter, for just at this critical
moment Roshan Khan seemed all at once to
realise the danger of the situation, and suddenly
fled for his life, screaming and shrieking with all
his might.
Beyond all question this movement
saved me, for the sight of something darting away
from him diverted the lion's attention from me,
and following his natural instinct, he gave chase
instead to the yelling fugitive.
Roshan Khan having thus unwittingly rescued
me from my perilous position, it now became my
turn to do all I could to save him, if this were
possible. In far less time than it takes to tell the
story, I had swung round after the pursuing lion,
levelled my rifle and fired; but whether because
of the speed at which he was going, or because
of my over-anxiety to save my "boy", I missed
him completely, and saw the bullet raise the
dust at the heels of a flying Masai. Like lightning
I loaded again from the magazine, but now the
lion was within a spring of his prey, and it seemed
hopeless to expect to save poor Roshan Khan
from his clutches. Just at this moment, however,
the terrified youth caught sight of the brute
over his left shoulder, and providentially made
a quick swerve to the right.
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