180 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



skins, which I used instead of saddle-cloths, I kept their 

 quite dry. In two hours the tempest had passed away, 

 but light rain fell till morning, until which time I lay 

 on the wet ground, soaked to the skin. About mid- 

 night we heard the lion roar a mile or so to the north- 

 ward, and a little before the day dawned I again heard 

 him in the direction of the carcass which we had found 

 on the preceding day. Soon after this I gave the word 

 to march. We then aVose and saddled our horses. I 

 found my trowsers lying in a pool of water, so I con- 

 verted a blanket into a long kilt by strapping it round 

 my waist with my shooting-belt. The costume of my 

 followers was equally unique. We held for the north 

 end of the lion's mountain at a sharp pace, which we 

 gained before it was clear enough to see surrounding 

 objects. As the light broke in upon us we reduced our 

 pace, and rode slowly up the middle of the vast level 

 plain toward the carcass of the wildebeest, with large 

 herds of wildebeests, springbok, blesbok, and quaggas 

 on every ride of us, which were this day as tame as 

 they had been wild on the previous one. This is gen- 

 erally the case after a storm. The morn was cloudy ; 

 misty vapors hung on the shoulders of the neighboring 

 mountains, and the air was loaded with balmy per- 

 fume, emitted by the grateful plants and herbs. As we 

 approached the carcass, I observed several jackals steal 

 away, and some half-drowned-looking vultures were 

 sitting round it. But there was no appearance of the 

 lion. I spent the next half hour in riding across the 

 plain looking for his spoor ; but I sought in vain. Be- 

 ing cold and hungry, I turned my horse's head for camp, 

 and rode slowly along through the middle of the game 

 which would scarcely move out of rifle-range on either 

 side of me. 



