XVII GRANDEST OF ALL EARTHLY MUSIC 297 



Of lions there were a few, but not very many, 

 in this part of the country, and my one successful 

 encounter with one of these animals during this 

 season occurred late in the year, when I was once 

 more nearing the western frontier of Matabeleland. 

 My waggon was then standing beneath some tall, 

 feathery leaved thorn trees near a large vley of 

 water, beyond which stretched an open plain covered 

 with a rather short growth of yellow grass for South 

 Africa — as it was not more than about two feet in 

 length. This open plain was skirted to the north 

 by dense jungles of wait-a-bit thorns, and on its 

 other three sides by open Mopani forest and scrub. 

 My camp was on the northern side of the plain, 

 quite close to the thorn jungles. 



At this time I had been long absent from the 

 farthest outpost of civilisation, and had not seen a 

 white man s face or spoken a word of English for 

 more than six months ; but I never felt lonely or 

 low spirited, for I had plenty of books with me to 

 read at nights, and hunting and collecting specimens 

 of natural history filled all my time by day. I was, 

 too, in perfect health. 



One night I was reading in the waggon rather 

 late, when a lion — the first 1 had heard for a long 

 time — commenced to roar loudly apparently not 

 very far away, and was immediately answered by 

 several other lions roaring in unison. After this, 

 and until I went to sleep, this roaring became almost 

 continuous, but I could tell that there was one lion 

 which always roared alone, and was answered by 

 several others which all roared together. Presently, 

 lulled by this grandest of all earthly music, I went 

 to sleep. 



I awoke just before daylight, and as the lions 

 were still roaring, apparently within a mile of the 

 waggon, I at once got up, and after drinking a cup 

 of coffee, rode out just at daylight, accompanied by 



