Ill 'THE LION'S HERE!' 55 



hunt elephants in the country to the north between 

 the MajiH and Ungwesi rivers. 



They soon heard from the natives that there was 

 a man-eating Hon in the district which had already 

 killed several people, and they were therefore 

 careful to see that a strong fence was made every 

 night behind their camp, and sufficient dry wood 

 collected to keep up good fires during the hours of 

 darkness. The two half-civilised hunters were 

 accustomed to sleep by themselves within a strong 

 semicircular fence, the open end of which was 

 protected by a larae fire. All but one of their 

 native boys — wild Batongas and Masubias — slept 

 together, lying in a row with a strong fence behind 

 them and a succession of fires near their feet. The 

 boy who would not sleep with the others, always lay 

 by one or other of the fires by himself. 



One night, Henry Wall, who was a very light 

 sleeper, and had perhaps been dreaming of lions, 

 was awakened, as he afterwards declared, by the 

 sound of a low growl or purr close to him. 

 Springing to his feet, he shouted out, " De leeuw is 

 hier!" ("The lion's here!") ; ''wake up, Jantje!" But 

 Jantje and all the Kafirs were fast asleep, and it was 

 not until they had been awakened and questioned 

 that it was discovered that the man who had been 

 lying by one of the fires all alone was gone. Where 

 he had gone and why was not left long in doubt, 

 for almost immediately a lion was heard eating his 

 remains close behind the encampment. Henry 

 Wall and Jantje at once fired in the direction of the 

 sound, on which the lion retired to a safer distance 

 with its prey. 



As soon as it was broad daylight, the hunters 

 took up the spoor of the lion, which was, they told 

 me, quite easy to follow through the dewy grass. 

 It was not long before they saw it walking slowly 

 along with its head half-turned, holding the dead 



