ADVENTURE WITH A LION. 233 



tetreated to the native, and we then knelt down. The lion con- 

 tinued his meal, tearing away at the buffalo, and growling at hia 

 wife and family, who, I found next day by the spoor, had accom- 

 panied him. Knowing that he would not molest me if I left him 

 alone, I proposed to the native to go to our hole and lie down, but 

 he would not hear of it, and entreated me to fire at the lion. I 

 fired three different shots where I thought I saw him, but without 

 any effect ; he would not so much as for a moment cease munch 

 ing my buffalo. I then proceeded to lie down, and was soon 

 asleep, the native keeping watch over our destinies. Some time 

 after midnight other lions were heard coming on from other airts, 

 and my old friend commenced roaring so loudly that the native 

 thought it proper to wake me. 



The first old lion now wanted to drink, and held right away for 

 the two unfortunate steeds, roaring terribly. I felt rather alarmed 

 for their safety ; but, trusting that the lion had had flesh enough 

 for one night, I lay still, and listened with an attentive ear. In a 

 few minutes, to my utter horror, I heard him spring upon one of 

 the steeds with an angry growl, and dash him to the earth ; the 

 steed gave a slight groan, and all was still. I listened to hear the 

 sound of teeth, but all continued still. Soon after this Tao" was 

 once more to be heard munching the buffalo. In a few minutes 

 he came forward, and stood on the bank close above us, and roared 

 most terribly, walking up and down, as if meditating some mis- 

 chief. I now thought it high time to make a fire, and, quickly 

 collecting some dry reeds and little sticks, in half a minute we 

 had a cheerful blaze. The lion, which had not yet got our wind, 

 came forward at once to find out what the deuse was up ; but, not 

 seeing to his entire satisfaction from the top of the bank, he was 

 proceeding to descend by a game-path into the river-bed within a 

 few yards of us. I happened at the very moment to go to this 

 spot to fetch more wood, and, being entirely concealed from the 

 lion's view above by the intervening high reeds, we actually mel 

 face to face ! 



The -first notice I got was his sudden spring to one side, accom- 

 panied by repeated angry growls, while I involuntarily made a 



