•A HORSE AND MULE KILLED BY LIONS. 53 



As, on our return to the cart in the evening, the mule that 

 had been left behind in the course of the day had not yet 

 made her appearance, I and Stewardson, each mounting an 

 ox, returned to the spot where she had last been seen. The 

 animal, however, had disappeared ; and finding that her 

 tracks led toward the river, where it would have been next 

 to madness to follow her in the dark, we retraced our steps 

 at once, trusting that instinct, which had made her go in 

 search of water, would also be a guide in seeking her com- 

 panions. 



Early on the following morning one of the wa^on-drivers 

 was dispatched to the river to look after our animals, while 

 Mr. Galton and myself followed at our ease ; but what was 

 our horror, on entering the bed of the stream, to find that 

 several lions had recently passed and repassed it in every di- 

 rection! This, together with the absence of the mules and 

 horses, at once foreboded evil. We were not long left to 

 conjectures, for almost immediately our servant joined us, 

 and said that a mule and a horse had been killed by the 

 lions, and partly devoured. He added, that on his approach- 

 ing the scene of the catastrophe, he saw five of those beasts 

 feasting on the carcasses, but on perceiving him they had 

 retreated with terrible growlings ! Instead of his presence 

 having scared the lions from their prey, however, as he as- 

 serted, we had reason to believe that, so soon as he was 

 aware of them, he immediately hid himself among the rocks, 

 and that it was not until emboldened by seeing us he had 

 left his hiding-place. Had it been otherwise, he would have 

 had ample time to give us notice of what had occurred prior 

 to our leaving the encampment. 



Singularly enough, the dead mule was the identical one 

 we had been in search of on the preceding night, and it 

 would appear that it had just rejoined its companions, or was 

 on the point of doing so, when it was attacked and killed. 

 Being a remarkably fine and handsome animal, its loss was 



