CHAP. V. LIONS. 2G9 



I was at home all the next day, my knee, which had 

 been hurt by a buffalo some months previously, having 

 been overworked in coming from the Pongolo, and I 

 noticed a singular disinchnation among the dogs to go far 

 from camp, and an occasional anxious snuffing of the wind 

 as it came up from the reeds, which led me to imagine 

 that the lioness had not gone far away, and just as I was 

 about to turn in, most of the camp being already asleep 

 and quiet, the dog that was lying outside by me got 

 up, and looking in the dhection of the nearest thicket, 

 uttered a low whine, put its tail between its legs, and 

 went inside among the sleeping Kaffirs, saying as plainly 

 as possible that it smelt something uncanny and did not 

 like its position away from the men. However, as I much 

 doubted the animal returning, I heaped more wood on 

 the guard-fire, and slept without interruption till daybreak. 

 It was imfortunate that I had not kept watch, as I had 

 half thought of doing, for the brute had paid us another 

 visit during the night, and had this time carried away 

 two large pieces of buffalo-meat, weighing at least eighty 

 pounds. 



Next night I watched the spot from the time the 

 camp became quiet till daylight, but no doubt she had 

 carried away enough for her wants for the time, and my 

 watching was in vain. A feeling, however, had sprung 

 up that the brute was always near us, and as the old 

 hunters had unfortunately said in the hearing of the camp- 

 boys that they had no doubt she would take a man if she 

 got the chance, it became difficult to get firewood, and 

 the following evening, affcer the arrival of some of the 

 Bombo natives, who told us that it was certainly the 



