LIONS. 6 1 



he walked alongside. Thoughtlessly enough I 

 put the cartridges into a pouch attached to the 

 saddle, as the " boys " were absent with my 

 bandolier. Off we went, soon reaching up with 

 the two Boers, who were sitting waiting for us 

 with bridles in hand and smoking like young 

 furnaces. It appeared that my young friend, who 

 was chock full of pluck, could not persuade his 

 companions to approach the lions within less than 

 three hundred yards ; then they insisted on firing, 

 with the result that one lion was hit, and both beat 

 a retreat, loudly protesting against the assault 

 and battery. 



Getting on the spoor, we followed it, and shortly 

 sighted one lion trotting away straight ahead, and 

 immediately gave chase, but soon lost him in a 

 deep nullah full of savage thorns and creepers 

 which in the local patois are called monkey ropes. 

 The country was only here and there studded with 

 a few bushes, and the grass was short, but we had 

 evidently left the wounded or dead lion in the 

 rear, so the horses were turned, and the Boers led 

 by some fifty yards or so at a smart walk, and, 

 crossing a little sandy nullah, were invisible in 

 the bush on the other side when we crossed it 



