296 AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES 



"The foremost lioness charged from right 

 angles, and when within fifteen feet of the boat 

 sprang into the air and landed squarely on the 

 shoulders of the near bullock, dug her hind 

 claws into his side, threw her front paws over 

 his back, and buried her teeth in his neck. 

 The poor creature went to the ground as if 

 shot and, rolling over on his side, bawled in 

 the most pitiful manner. By this time a second 

 lioness had rushed in from behind, and I turned 

 just as she was about to spring at me, to all 

 appearances; but she leaped clear over my 

 head and landed squarely upon the back of the 

 bullock already down. 



"The fall of the wounded bullock brought the 

 stone-boat to a halt, and the frantic struggles 

 of its frightened companion broke the yoke. 

 Away he went over the veldt just as the third 

 lioness came charging up. She, too, was coming 

 straight for me; but, seeing the loose ox that 

 had veered off, she changed her course for him, 

 and as she passed me not ten feet away, I 

 brought the bull-whip over her back with all my 

 force. Without altering her course or slacken- 

 ing her speed in the least, she turned her head 

 and showed her contempt by snarling as she shot 



