The giraffe continued his course, going away from us, so that our chance of shooting the lion decreased. Still we pushed on, hoping that the terrified animal might turn, and bring his murderer closer to us. On he went, however, uttering cries of terror, the rest of the herd scampering off at full speed, which soon carried them away from their unfortunate companion. The life-blood was flowing fast from the giraffe's neck; but he struggled on in spite of the immense weight of the creature on his back and the agony he must have been suffering. In vain he reared up-- in vain he struggled. Presently we saw him sink to the ground, when the savage beast flew at his neck, and soon finished his sufferings. "Take care," said Senhor Silva; "we must not approach too near, for if we attempt to dispute his prey with the lion, it will make him more savage than ever." "Our guns will settle that question," answered Stanley, still hurrying on. I kept by his side, and the boys followed. Not till we were within fifty paces did the lion perceive us. He was then standing over his prey, which he had already begun to rend. Raising his head, with his claws on the carcase, he eyed us fiercely, sending forth terrific growls of anger. Still he did not move and Stanley had now an opportunity of taking steady aim. Still we advanced nearer. The lion perceiving this, with a roar which even now rings in my ears, gave a bound towards us. I raised my rifle and fired; but my arm must have trembled, and I confess I felt little able to take steady aim: the ball only grazed the lion's head. He was now within a dozen paces of us. Leo and David were standing a little on one side. Stanley raised his gun. He fired; but, to my horror, no explosion followed. "Now! now!" he cried out. The boys saw what had happened, and both, levelling their pieces, fired. The lion gave a bound in the air, and fell backward. "Hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Leo and Natty; "we have killed the lion!" "No; it was my shot did it," cried Leo. "It was mine," exclaimed Natty; "I am sure." "You both had the honour," exclaimed Stanley, as he knelt over the monster's head. "Here are two shot holes, and either would have killed him." As may be supposed, the boys' triumph was very great. Chickango, however, was better pleased with the giraffe. "Here meat enough for one week," he exclaimed, as he began to cut away into the giraffe's flesh. As we had no prejudice in taking an animal killed immediately before our eyes, though we might have objected to it had we found it dead, we all assisted Chickango in cutting up the animal, each of us taking as much as we could possibly carry. "You stay here," he said. "Take care no oder lion come. I go call oders;" and loading himself with twice as much as we could have attempted to carry, he hurried back to the camp.