398 HUNTING ADVENTURES. 



At sundown we halted under a lofty mountain, the highest iu the 

 district, called "Lynche a Cheny," or the Monkey's Mountain. 



Next day at an early hour I rode out with Ruyter to hunt; my 

 camp being entirely without flesh, and we having been rationed on 

 very tough old rhinoceros for several days past. It was a cloudy 

 morning, and soon after starting it came on to rain heavily. I, how- 

 ever, held on, skirting a fine well-wooded range of mountains, ana 

 after riding several miles I shot a zebra. Having covered the carcass 

 well over with branches to protect it from the vultures, I returned to 

 camp, and, inspanning my wagons, took it up on the march. We 

 continued trekking on until sundown, when we started an immense 

 herd of buffaloes, into which I stalked and shot a huge o*ld bull. 



Our march this evening was through the most beautiful country I 

 nad ever sjeen in Africa. We skirted along an endless range of well- 

 wooded stony mountains lying on our left, whilst to our right the 

 country at first sloped gently off, and then stretched away into a level 

 green forest (occasionally interspersed with open glades,) boundless 

 as the ocean. This green forest was, however, relieved in one direction 

 by a chain 'of excessively bold, detached, well-wooded, rocky, pyra- 

 midal mountains, which stood forth in grand relief. In advance the 

 picture was bounded by forest and mountain ; one bold acclivity, in 

 chape a dome, standing prominent among its fellows. It was a lovely 

 evening : the sky, overcast and gloomy, threw an interesting, wild, 

 mysterious coloring over the landscape. I gazed forth upon the ro- 

 mantic scene before me with intense delight, and felt melancholy and 

 sorrowful at passing so fleetingly through it, and I could not help 

 shouting out as I marched along, " Where is the coward who would 

 not dare to die for such a land?" 



In the morning we held for a fountain some miles ahead in a gorge 

 in the mountains. As we approached the fountain, and were passing 

 close in under a steep rocky hill side, well wooded to its summit, I 

 unexpectedly beheld a lion stealing up the rocky face, and halting 

 behind a tree, he stood overhauling us for some minutes. I re- 

 solved to give him battle, and seizing my rifle marched against him, 

 followed by Carey, carrying a spare gun, and by three men leading 

 my dogs, now reduced to eight. When we got close in to the base 



