Chapter 23

We expected the lions to attack at any minute, but nothing happened. The bison grazed, insects buzzed, we waited. And waited. I finally decided that the lions had gone in search of easier prey.

Wrong! There was a thunderous roar from farther out in the grass! The old bull of this small herd lumbered in that direction, head down, tail up. He stopped as soon as he was between the threat and the cows and yearlings. He snorted loudly, enraged, and his shoulders moved. Clumps of grass and clods of dirt flew up, and I realized he was pawing the ground. The rest of the herd also showed signs of anxiety. There was agitated shifting around as the yearlings moved to the center and the cows surrounded them, all now looking for the source of that coughing roar.

Across the herd from us, two tawny streaks shot from the grass and attacked a cow. One had gone high and locked her jaws into the back of the animal’s neck and the claws of a front paw hooked the animal’s nose. The other lioness had the loose skin of the cow’s throat in her jaws, attempting to strangle her. The herd scattered even as the doomed cow collapsed.

Even as they panicked, most instinctively kept their matriarchal groupings, fleeing as pairs and an occasional triplet. Most had run farther out into the grassland, but not all; a cow and yearling had stampeded past us before slowing, half a mile on. The pair was now about a hundred yards from the nearest tree.

“We might be able to take one of those!” I exclaimed. “We can use the trees to cover our approach. We’ll stay together. Make sure you’ve got all of your stuff before we leave, we likely won’t be coming back this way. If they’re still in bowshot range when we get there, we’ll try for that yearling. The old cow might be harder to kill and I’d rather not wind up with one of her horns stuck in my guts.

I led off, the others followed, Lilia was rear guard. Now and then, I glimpsed the two between the trees as we ran, and they shifted position as they resumed grazing. If the cow happened to be closer when we got in position, I decided I would take the less-desirable animal if that reduced our danger. I had no illusions about how tough they were; it would likely take several arrows to kill the beast, and there was no telling how far it might run before it died.

We remained well back into the covering woods during the approach, and I kept an eye out for trees we could easily climb. Some of the lions would likely be feeding on the dead cow, but some might have gone after the rest of the herd. There was no certainty; we had spotted at least one adult male and two females, but what if there were more? Some of them might have come this way! And could even now be creeping toward the cow and yearling that had become separated from the protection of the herd!

We slipped through the trees, estimating distances. Finally we’d come a bit more than half a mile, so I slipped closer to the forest’s edge. The two bison were still there, but now they were farther out in the grassland. I signaled the others to stop and eased ahead. Lilia came up beside me and whispered, “Are they too far?”

“They’re too far away to shoot from here! They’re two hundred yards out, maybe two hundred fifty. The lions? I just don’t know. These two aren’t acting like anything’s around. I can’t believe any other predators would be after these two, not around a pride of lions that’s actively hunting. Even dire wolves wouldn’t attack that many, not in this thick grass.

“We could try stalking, slipping upwind through the grass, then ease closer until we can shoot. Put a couple of arrows into the yearling. He’s the one nearest to us anyway. When the cow runs off, we put ropes on the carcass and just drag him back here. Safer to field-dress him when there’s a handy tree to climb. What do you think? Too much of a chance?”

“No,” she said slowly, “I think you’re right. The lions will be feeding farther away. I agree that it’s dangerous, but going hungry this winter is dangerous too. We need the meat and skin, and the help we get from the mine will have to be paid for. I think we have to try.”

I explained our plan to the rest of the group. “Lilia and I will try for a shot, but we’re going to need your help after we kill the yearling. Nobody takes on a lion if there’s any possible way out of it. No matter what happens, nobody goes out there until the yearling is down!

“After we’re sure he’s dead, we’ll wrap a pair of ropes around the horns. As soon as we signal, the rest of you come out and grab on. The idea is to drag him back here where we can climb a tree if the lions show up. We’ll field-dress the carcass, skin it, then break it down into five or six parts to make it easy to transport. Three of us will head for the mine with most of the meat, Lilia will take Sandra and Millie back to the cabin with our share. Any questions?”

The others looked scared or determined, depending. Lilia had her bow, quite adequate for anything short of a mammoth, Millie had my old bow, and Sandra had the crossbow. Laz and René had their heavy spears. We were as ready as it was possible to be, so our companions split into pairs by a tree they could climb if threatened.

I took a deep breath, glanced at Lilia, and bent forward. She followed close behind me. as I crept out into the tall grass. I wasn’t liking the feeling at all! But as Lilia had said, we needed the meat and I’d done as much as I could to keep the others safe. Now I needed to worry about Lilia and myself.

Slowly I straightened up for a quick look. The yearling was grazing, but the cow was nervous. Worth a longer look, I decided. Was she reacting to the attack, or had she sensed something? She kept raising her head every few seconds to look around and sniff the slight breeze.

Feeling more naked than I’d ever felt before, I stole around the heavy clumps of tall grass as I approached the yearling. The trees had always been nearby since I was dropped onto Darwin’s World, but every step I took now put me farther away from the safety of those trees! I had to do this, but I didn’t have to like it! Was Lilia as nervous as I was? Was she doing what I was, hiding fear while I concentrated on the task at hand? We held our bows ready, arrows on the strings, and nerves as taut as our bowstrings.

I estimated we’d come about a hundred yards into the grass when I slowly straightened up to have a look. The two bison were closer. Either we’d moved faster or they had drifted toward us. Ten yards, maybe a bit more, and we would be in range.

Finally I judged we were close enough. I glanced at Lilia and she was watching for my signal. I nodded and slowly stood up while drawing my bowstring back to my cheek. I glimpsed Lilia doing the same. She probably got her arrow off a fraction before I did. Well, my heavier bow was a lot harder to draw!

Both arrows thumped into the yearling bull. He bolted ahead for twenty yards and fell. I could hear him kicking the grass, but I couldn’t worry about that now. The cow hadn’t run away!

The yearling had been about thirty yards away when we shot, the cow about fifty, but she’d seen me when I stood up. Now, tail up and head down, she charged. I dodged to the side and crouched behind a large clump of grass, and she hesitated. Maybe she’d lost me, maybe she couldn’t decide whether to go after Lilia or see to the yearling, still kicking in the grass.