ATTACKED BY LIONS. 93 



ing themselves to and fro in a manner not easily described, 

 and whisking, at regular intervals, from side to side, their tails, 

 tufted at the end, while their long and tapering necks, sway- 

 ing backward and forward, follow the motion of their bodies. 



On account of the many short turns, the hilly nature of 

 the ground in places, and the unusual length of the wagons, 

 we anticipated considerable difficulty in the course of this 

 stage. But we got safely through it without accident of any 

 kind, and arrived at Tjobis Fountain about nine o'clock. 



We left this place the evening of the same day, and, with 

 the exception of resting for an hour or two by the way, we 

 pushed on throughout the night. 



At daybreak, and just as we reached the Swakop, we 

 were suddenly startled by the most tremendous roaring of 

 lions, which evidently were close at hand. In a few mo- 

 ments afterward, two of those magnificent beasts — male and 

 female — emerged from the bushes at about one hundred and 

 fifty paces ahead of us. On perceiving the cavalcade, they 

 gave another terrific roar, of so angry a nature as to cause 

 the greatest consternation among the cattle. Those attached 

 to the foremost wagon wheeled round instantaneously, and, 

 before it was possible to prevent them, ran right into the 

 midst of the aftermost team, and I expected every moment 

 to see the vehicles capsized or smashed to atoms. 



What with the bellowing of the oxen, the shouting and 

 screaming of the men, the smashing and breaking of yokes, 

 &c., and the continued roar of the lions, the scene was such 

 as to baffle all description. 



The lion himself, after having approached very near to us, 

 again retreated into the bushes ; but the lioness seated her- 

 self quietly within less than a hundred yards of the wagons, 

 growling most furiously. Throwing the reins over the saddle 

 of " Spring," who, by-the-by, had nearly unseated me on the 

 first appearance of the lions, I sprang to the ground, and 

 seizing a double-barreled gun, which I always kept loaded 



