CHAP. V. LIONS. .251 



expecting him to jump down, and tempted by the 

 magnificent mark his great broad chest displayed, knelt 

 down and aimed at it, making him, as the bullet struck, 

 lose his balance and fall over the bank. I reserved my 

 second barrel, expecting nothing but a savage and vindic- 

 tive charge, and my surprise was great on seeing the 

 brute, looking not more than half his former size, pick 

 himself up and follow the path the lioness had taken as 

 fast as his legs would carry him. It was all done so 

 quickly that I never thought of firing again before he was 

 nearly a hundred yards ofP, and as he took no notice of 

 my shot, I conclude I missed him. 



Before going further we crossed over, and put an end 

 to the buffalo that had caused us this commotion ; but I 

 wanted to see more of this brute that had proved himself 

 so great a coward, and we followed his track, all dotted 

 with blood-spots, until it entered a dense and almost 

 impenetrable mass of evergreen bushes lining the old 

 water-course, in which he had no doubt taken refuge, but 

 in which it would also have been utter madness to seek 

 him, and where we therefore left him in peace to die of 

 his wound, as he certainly ultimately would, though it is 

 only fair to mention that Umdumela was quite ready to 

 go in had I not refused to do so. 



As I have said, some lions make a point of attacking 

 every human being they meet, without provocation or 

 apparent cause, but these, as a general rule, are man- 

 eaters, no instance of their otherwise doing so having 

 come within my personal knowledge, and only one, well 

 authenticated, having been told me by native hunters. 

 The man who first related the story to me, and who was 



