106 THE LION. 



face, for a short space. At length the lion moved 

 * backward, as if to go away. Diederik began to load 

 his gun, the lion looked over his shoulder, growled 

 and returned. Diederik stood still. The lion again 

 moved cautiously off, and the boor proceeded to 

 load and ram down his bullet. The lion again 

 looked back and growled angrily ; and this occurred 

 repeatedly, until the animal had got off to some dis- 

 tance, when he took fairly to his heels, and bounded 

 away." 



The following relation of an encounter of another 

 kind, will still more forcibly exhibit the coolness 

 and presence of mind in the South African boor, 

 upon any trying emergency, or unexpected attack 

 from wild beasts ; while it will shew that the lion 

 will occasionally seek his prey during the day, and 

 near the haunts of men. It is taken from Professor 

 Lichtenstein's Travels. 



" When passing near the Riet river-gate, and 

 while our oxen were grazing, Van Wyk, the colonist, 

 related to us the following interesting circumstance. 

 ' It is now,' he said, * more than two years since, in 

 the very place where we stand, I ventured to take 

 one of the most daring shots that ever was hazarded. 

 My wife was sitting within the house, near the door, 

 the children were playing about her, and I was with- 

 out, near the house, busied in doing something to a 

 waggon, when suddenly, though it was mid-day, an 

 enormous lion appeared, came up and laid himself 

 quietly down in the shade, upon the very threshold 



