Ill 'THAT'S THE LION AGAIN!' 57 



and a small one on the top of a platform. The 

 large hut was occupied by a woman and her two 

 children, whilst her husband kept watch alone in 

 the little open hut above. 



One night the dread man-eater of the Majili 

 came prowling round, and scenting the native on 

 the platform, either sprang up and seized him with 

 its teeth, or more probably, I think, half clambered 

 up by the help of the ladder, and dragged him from 

 his shelter with its claws. At any rate, it bore him 

 to the ground and speedily killed him, but not 

 before he had made a good deal of noise, as reported 

 afterwards by his children. His wife, awakened by 

 the cries of her husband, opened the door of her 

 hut and rushed out, leaving the two children inside. 

 The lion at once left the man, who was then dead, 

 and seizing the woman, quickly killed her. It 

 never returned to the body of the man at all, but 

 ate all the fleshy parts of the woman, retiring into 

 the bush before daylight, and never revisiting the 

 corpses. 



All through the dry season this lion kept the 

 natives in the neighbourhood of the Majili river in 

 a constant state of alarm, and whilst adding steadily 

 to the number of its victims, baffled every attempt 

 made to hunt it down and destroy it. After having 

 been away for some months, hunting elephants in 

 the country farther north, Henry Wall and Black 

 Jantje once again camped on the Majili river on 

 their way back to the Zambesi, and for the second 

 time the man-eater paid them a visit. This time 

 Jantje was awake, and hearing, as he told me, a low 

 purring growl, jumped up, calling out, '' Daat's de 

 leeuw wieder ! " (" That's the lion again ! "). 



At the same time one of the Kafirs stood up 

 holding his hand to his head. 



*' What's the matter with you ? " asked Jantje, 

 going up to him. 



