A MGHT IN A STORM. 179 



horses with me, and spend the night in the vicinity of 

 the lion, and search early for him on the following 

 morning. Accordingly, while dinner was preparing, I 

 occupied myself in cleaning and loading my three dou- 

 ble-barreled rifles; after which, having dined, I rode 

 with Kleinboy and John Stofolns to my hole by the 

 vley, where my bedding lay day and night. This spot 

 was within a few miles of where we expected to fall in 

 with the lion in the morning. We secured the three 

 horses to one another, as there was no tree or bush with- 

 in miles of us ; but these I could dispense with, for I 

 knew very well by the looks of the Hottentots that they 

 would not sleep much, but would keep a vigilant eyo 

 over our destinies. I spent a most miserable night. 

 The wind, which had been blowing so fresh in the height 

 of the day, had subsided to a' calm when the sun went 

 down, and was now succeeded by an almost death-lilce 

 stiUness, which I too well knew was the harbinger of 

 a coming tempest. . We had not lain down an hour 

 when the sky to leeward became black as pitch. Pres- 

 ently the most vivid flashes of lightning followed one 

 another in quick succession, accompanied by terrific 

 peals of thunder. The wind, which, during the day, 

 had been out of the northeast, now, as is usual on such 

 occasions, veered right round, and came whistling up 

 from the southwest, where the tempest was brewing ; 

 and in a few minutes more it was upon us in all its 

 fury, the rain descending in torrents on our devoted 

 heads, while vivid flashes of lightning momentarily il- 

 lumined, with the brilliancy of day, the darkness that 

 reigned around. In a very few minutes the whole plain 

 was a sheet of water, and every atom of my cl':>thes and 

 bedding was thoroughly saturated. My three rifles 

 had excellent holsters, and with the help of two sheep* 



