CHAPTER XIII 



Tlic South African Lion — Variation of Type — Habitats — Appearance 

 — Colour — Habits — Average Size — Unclean Feeders — Dangerous 

 Antagonists— A sad Story— Lioness attacks Camp by night — Horse 

 wounded — Ruthven shot — Lioness killed — Shoot magnificent Lion 

 and two Lionesses. 



All over the interior of South Africa, wherever game 

 still exists in sufficient quantities to furnish them 

 with food, lions are to be met v/ith, and are equally 

 plentiful on the high, open downs of the Mashuna 

 country, amongst the rough, broken hills, through 

 which run many of the tributaries of the Zambesi, in 

 the dense thorn-thickets to the west of the Gwai river, 

 or in the marshy country in the neighbourhood of 

 Linyanti. As, however, they are nocturnal in their 

 habits, and usually lie asleep during the daytime, in 

 beds of reeds, or in the midst of dense thickets, it is 

 only by chance that one comes across them, even in 

 parts of the country where, from hearing their voices 

 at nights, and constantly seeing their spoor,there can 

 be no doubt that they are plentiful. All the Dutch 

 hunters in the interior, as well as many Europeans, 

 who pretend to higher scientific attainments, say that 

 there are at least three distinct species of lions in 

 South Africa ; while some assert that there are four 

 or even five. Their distinctions are all based upon 

 the length and colour of the mane, the general colour 



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