CHAP. V. LIONS. 259 



come with his men, saying that, whether he had arrived 

 or not, I should take up the spoor at nine o'clock. 



I did not at the time know that the woman who had 

 formed the last victim was his relation, but when my 

 messenger came back and told me so, adding that the 

 chief was fearfully angry, it did not surprise me to hear 

 that runners had been sent out already, and that he had 

 threatened to drive out of the country any one old enough 

 to carry a spear who remained behind, and that if I would 

 wait until the sun had reached a certain part of the heavens 

 (about ten o'clock), he would then join me. 



I had already had breakfast when this news came, 

 and to save time I took a hunter and a spoorer with me 

 and followed the lion. About two hundred yards off we 

 found the spot where he had made his disgusting meal, 

 and then the track led right away towards a stream 

 nearly a mile distant, where he had quenched his thirst. 

 Keeping steadily on, he passed through several covers 

 quite strong enough to have held him, and through which 

 we had to pass with the utmost caution, until, at length, 

 he came out on to the open and headed in a direction 

 that we knew could lead nowhere but to the Umbeka 

 bush, the thickest jungle for miles round, and as this 

 was still nearly four miles off, I sent one man back to 

 tell the people where to come to, and kept on with the 

 hunter. 



On reaching the jungle, which covered the entire side 

 of a hill, and was stony and broken to the last degree, 

 besides having its under brush formed of impenetrable 

 cactus, we did not of course attempt to enter, but, 

 separating, we walked round it, the upper and more 



