428 HUNTING ADVENTURES^ 



luctant to go, fearing a lion might have taken possession of the carcass 

 On proceeding to reconnoitre from our side, they beheld the majcstia 

 beast they dreaded walk slowly up the opposite bank from the dead 

 buffalo, and take up a position on the top of the bank under some 

 shady thorn-trees. I resolved to give him battle, and rode forth 

 with my double-barrelled Westley Richards rifle, followed by men 

 leading the dogs. Present, who was one of the party, carried his 

 " roer," no doubt to perform wonders. The wind blew up the 

 river ; I accordingly held up to seek a drift, and crossed a short dis- 

 tance above where the buffalo lay. As we drew near the spot, I ob- 

 served the lion sitting on the top of the bank, exactly where he had 

 been seen by my people. On my right, and within two hundred yards 

 of me, was a very extensive troop of pallahs, which antelope invari- 

 'ably manages to be in the way when it is not at all wanted. OR 

 this occasion, however, I succeeded in preventing my dogs from ob- 

 serving them. When the lion saw us coming, he overhauled us for 

 a moment, and then slunk down the bank for concealment; bein 

 well to leeward of him, I ordered my dogs to be slipped, and galloped 

 forward. 



On finding that he was attacked, the lion at first made a most de- 

 termined bolt for it, followed by all the dogs at a racing pace; and 

 when they came up with him he would not bay, but continued his 

 course down the bank of the river, keeping close in beside the reeds, 

 growling terribly at the dogs, which kept up an incessant angry bark- 

 ing. The bank of the river was intersected by deep water-courses, 

 and, the ground being extremely slippery from the rain which had 

 fallen during the night, I was unable to overtake him until he came 

 to bay in a patch of lofty dense reeds which grew on the lower bank, 

 immediately adjacent to the river's margin. I had brought out eleven 

 of my dogs, and before 1 could come up three of them were killed. 

 On reaching the spot I found it impossible to obtain the smallest 

 glimpse of the lion, although the ground favored me, I having the 

 upper bank to stand on; so, dismounting from my horse, I tried to 

 guess, from his horrid growling, his exact position, and fired several 

 shots on chance, but none of these hit him. I then commenced pelt- 

 ing him with lumps o* earth and sticks, there being no stones at 



