THE LIONS A PANIC. 67 



out intermission till a late hour, when all became silent. Be- 

 lieving that they had taken themselves off, I sent the men 

 who had been watching to sleep. I was, however, deceived ; 

 for two hours had hardly elapsed when within a short dis- 

 tance of our encampment, there arose a most horrible roar- 

 ing, intermingled with the rushing to and fro, the kicking, 

 plunging, and neighing of a troop of zebras, which instantly 

 brought every man to his feet, and the consternation and 

 confusion became indescribable. Some of them rushed about 

 like maniacs, lamenting most piteously that they ever left 

 the Cape. Others convulsively grasped their blankets in 

 their arms, and cried like children ; while a few stood motion- 

 less, with fear and anguish depicted in their countenances. 

 It was in vain that I tried to calm their agitation. They 

 seemed fully convinced that their last hour had come, and 

 that they should perish miserably by the fangs of wild beasts. 



On going just outside the inclosure, I could distinctly see 

 the glimmering of lions' eyes, as our small, well-kept bivouac- 

 fire fell full upon them. I sent a ball or two after the in- 

 truders, but, as it appeared afterward, without effect. 



The next morning we found that the zebras had escaped 

 unscathed, and we attributed the unusual anger and ferocity 

 of their pursuers to the disappointment they had experienced 

 in losing their favorite prey. 



We had only been a short time at Richterfeldt when three 

 of our mules, and the remaining horse, were seized with a 

 mortal disease, and in the course of a few hours they all died. 

 Though the loss of the animals was great to us, their death 

 was a god-send to the poor Damaras, who devoured the car- 

 casses bodily, and without the least disagreeable result. 



The distemper in question is usually known by the vague 

 name of " paarde-sikte" (the horse-sickness); and, as the 

 cause is totally unknown, no remedy has yet been found 

 efficient to stop it. Throughout Great Namaqua-land it is 

 particularly fatal. Some people attribute this singular dis- 



