92 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



matic fever. I had jnst strength to gain my wagons, 

 when the disease came on in full force, swelling up all 

 the joints of my body, and giving me the most excrucia- 

 ting torture. I could not move hand nor foot, nor turn 

 on my bed. I had no medicine except salts ; these I 

 made use of, and bled myself, and in about eight days 

 the intense pains left me, but left me so weak that I 

 could not stand. 



On the morning of the 4th of August I determined 

 to leave the Bamangwato country, and to return to 

 Sichely by way of Massouey, which place I reached on 

 the 15th. It was, however, infested by natives, and 

 all the game gone. I accordingly trekked for Lepeby, 

 which I reached the next day. Here too the natives 

 had gathered, so I proceeded on to Soobie, where I 

 found the skull of a very large lion, which the natives 

 said had been killed by another lion. 



At night I lay by the water with Kleinboy ; abund- 

 ance of game came and drank, but it was too dark to 

 shoot with any certainty. About midnight a lion and 

 a lioness came within ten yards of us before we noticed 

 them. I was lying half asleep, but detected Kleinboy 

 removing the big rifle from my side : he made a lucky 

 shot; the ball passed through the lion's heart. He 

 bounded forward about fifty yards, and, groaning fear- 

 fully, died. Presently we heard the hyaenas and jack- 

 als feasting on him, and before morn he was consumed. 

 After some time the lioness reapproached the water to 

 seek her mate, and drew nearer and nearer to us, roar- 

 ing most ffarfully ; it was truly enough to make the 

 stoutest heart quail. Kleinboy's quite failed him ; and 

 presently, hearing other lions approaching on the op- 

 posite side of the fount, I certainly felt that we were 

 in danger, and accordingly agreed to light a fire, which 



