DEATH OF THE BEAST ^TRYING SITUATION. 509 



pulse was to get hold of my gun, which was lying ready 

 cocked immediately before me, and the next to raise myself 

 partially from my reclining position. In doing so, 1 made 

 as little noise as possible ; but, slight though it might be, it 

 was sufficient to attract the notice of the beast, who uttered 

 a gruff kind of growl, too well known to be misunderstood. 

 Following with my eyes the direction of the sound, I endeav- 

 ored to discover the lion, but could only make out a large 

 dark mass looming through the night-mist. Scarcely know- 

 ing what I was about, I instinctively leveled my gun at the 

 beast. My finger was on the trigger ; for a moment I hesi- 

 tated ; but, by a sudden impulse, pulled it, and the next in- 

 stant the surrounding rocks rang with the report, followed by 

 roarings from the beast, as if in the agonies of death. Well 

 knowing what a wounded lion is capable of, and how utter- 

 ly helpless I was, I regretted my rashness. The wounded 

 beast, who at times seemed to be within a few paces of the 

 " skarm," and at others at some little distance, was rolling 

 on the ground, and tearing it up, in convulsive agonies. How 

 long this struggle between life and death lasted is hard to 

 say, but to me it appeared an age. Gradually, however, and 

 to my great relief, his roars and moans subsided, and after a 

 while ceased altogether. 



Dawn at length appeared ; but it was not until after some 

 time, and then with much caution, that I ventured to ascer- 

 tain the fate of the lion, whom, to my great satisfaction, I found 

 dead within fifty yards of my place of concealment. The 

 beast was of an average size, but, unfortunately, the hyeenas 

 and jackals had played sad havoc with his skin. 



Some time previously, my men, Eyebrecht and Klaas Zaal, 

 had also shot a lion in this identical spot ; but, owing to his 

 fearful growls while dying, they thought it best to decamp at 

 once without ascertaining his fate. 



During the four months that I was absent from my men, 

 I traveled, either alone or accompanied by a single native, 



