2Q 



CHAPTER VI. 



A MANGY HY^NA. 



Sunday's report of the late affair, as learned from 

 Jim, was out and out more exciting than Dillon's ; 

 but then a native, by the addition of his admirable 

 pantomimic action, can always in effectiveness, beat 

 a white man in narrating an adventure. 



About an hour before turning in, the gun I had 

 set went off. Result — a dead and very mangy 

 hyaena, minus one of its hind feet. It is far from an 

 uncommon occurrence to find hyaenas, and even 

 jackals, without one, or even two, of their feet. If 

 steel traps were in use in this country, such a cir- 

 cumstance would not be marvelled at, but there is 

 no such appliance known to the natives. The 

 Bushmen's explanation is that, when these animals 

 are detected by the lions interfering with their prey, 

 it is thus (biting off one of their feet) they punish 

 them for their presumption. 



The first indication that we have had that we 

 are in an inhabited country occurred to-day : about 

 thirty natives, under the leadership of a giant, a 

 fellow about 6 ft. 3 in., walked up to the kraal fence 

 and there sat down. Nearly all had carosses, made 

 from the skins of different animals, hanging from 



