LIONS. 49 



and all along the course of the Limpopo and its 

 tributaries, lions in considerable numbers existed 

 and made night hideous with their incessant 

 roaring. It was the same in the bush country 

 along the courses of Oliphant's River and its 

 affluents, but by day they were seldom visible, and 

 it was rather rare to bag one. On the High Veldt, 

 or open plains, I have mentioned it was hardly 

 possible to ride about in likely places for an hour 

 or so without seeing several lions either singly or 

 in family groups more or less numerous. Whilst 

 rumbling along the wheel tracks which then did 

 duty as roads, the waggon often disturbed their 

 siestas in the sun, when they would generally make 

 off at a leisurely walk, but if very replete with 

 food would sometimes refuse to move, and oblige 

 the traveller to make a detour to avoid collision. 



On such occasions to fire at them was to run 

 the risk of causing the emission of angry growls, 

 and a consequent panic among the draught oxen, 

 resulting most likely in a bolt and a general smash- 

 up. As a rule the lions escaped scathless. In 

 such cases single lions were generally more apt 

 to become aggressive than when met with in a 

 troop, and I well remember that an acquaintance 



E 



