xxii LIONESS SEEN 489 



river's bed, a task of no small difficulty, owing to 

 the great boulders over which we had continually to 

 climb. It was not so bad tor us who had only our 

 rifles to carry, but some of our Kafirs had loads of 

 from 30 to 40 lbs., and these poor fellows had a very 

 rough time of it. We then tried keeping away from 

 the river among the hills, but here we found the 

 ravines so steep and frequent, that we took to the 

 river again. At last about twelve o'clock, we emerged 

 from the hills, and during the rest of the day travelled 

 over a comparatively level country, always follovv'ing 

 the course of the stream. During the day, besides 

 waterbucks and klipspringers, we saw three magnifi- 

 cent old koodoo bulls ; and when night came, we 

 slept on a little island in the river. 



The following morning we continued our journey, 

 always keeping along the river's bank, until about 

 mid-day, when we reached a chain of hills at a little 

 distance from the river. My boy Jonas now knew 

 the country, and as he said it would be our best plan 

 to leave the Zweswe here, and strike across due east 

 to the Umfule, we determined to follow his advice. 

 During the whole morning we had seen troop after 

 troop of waterbucks and impala antelopes, and in a 

 valley which we reached just after leaving the river 

 we found an immense mixed herd of these animals 

 quietly feeding, besides a lot of wild pigs. It was 

 not long after this, that, as we were walking along 

 in single file, Jonas leading, 1 saw, just from the corner 

 of my eye, and during just a second of time, a lioness 

 enter a patch of grass away to our left. However, 

 though the vision was so momentary, I was quite 

 certain that it was no delusion. Here was another 

 chance for Jameson to ^et what he so much coveted 

 — a lion ; for although he had wounded one before, 



