And with each yard of advance came the realization that we were coming to an inevitable show-down with that lion.

Akeley and I were in with the beaters, Stephenson was beyond the patch of grass to intercept the lion should it break forth, from cover.
It was not until we had nearly traversed the entire patch of reeds that the lion was found.

It evidently lay silently ahead of us until we were almost upon it.

Then, almost beneath my feet, came the angry and ominous growl, and my Somali gunbearer leaped in terror, falling as he did so.

I expected to see a long, lean flash of yellow body and to experience the sensation of being mauled by a lion.