280 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



rocky hill side, well wooded to its summit, I unexpect- 

 edly beheld a lion stealing up the rocky face, and, halt- 

 ing behind a tree, he stood overhauling us for some 

 minutes. T resolved to give him battle, and, seizing 

 my rifle, marched against him, followed by Carey car- 

 rying a spare gun, and by three men leading my dogs, 

 now reduced to eight. When we got close in to the 

 base of the mountain, we found ourselves enveloped in 

 dense jungle, which extended half way to its summit, 

 and entirely obscured from our eyes objects which were 

 quite apparent from the wagons. I slipped my dogs, 

 however, which, after snuffing about, took right up the 

 steep face on the spoor of the lions, for there was a 

 troop of them — a lion and three lionesses. 



The people at the wagons saw the chase in perfec- 

 tion. When the lions observed the dogs coming on, 

 they took right up, and three of them crossed over the 

 sky ridge. The dogs, however, turned one rattling old 

 lioness, which came rumbling down through the cover, 

 close past me. I ran to meet her, and she came to bay 

 in an open spot near the base of the mountain, whither 

 I quickly followed, and, coming up within thirty yards, 

 bowled her over with my first shot, which broke her 

 back. My second entered her shoulder; and fearing 

 that she might hurt any of the dogs, as she still evinced 

 signs of life, I finished her with a third in the breast. 

 The bellies of all the four lions were much distended 

 by some game they had been gorging, no doubt a buf- 

 falo, as a large herd started out of the jungle immedi- 

 ately under the spot where the noble beasts were first 

 disturbed. 



Showers of rain fell every hour throughout the 24th, 

 so I employed my men in making feldt-.>5choens, or, in 

 other words, African brogues for me. These ?>o«» 



