THRILLING ADVENTURES IN AFRICA. :s/ 



robed him, he is perfectly invisible in the dark; and althoiig-h 1 Iiave 

 often heard them loudly lapping the water under my very nose, not 

 twenty yards from mc, I could not possibly make out so much as 

 the outlines of their forms. When a thirsty lion comes to water he 

 stretches out his massive arms, lies down on his breast to drink, and 

 makes a ioud lapping noise in drinking not to be mistaken. He con- 

 tinues lapping up the water for a long while, and four or five times 

 during the proceeding he pauses for half a minute as if to take 

 breath. 



EYES THAT GLISTEN LIKE BALLS OF FIRE. 



One thing conspicuous about them is their eyes, which, in a 

 dark night, glow like two balls of fire. The female is more fierce 

 and active than the male, as a general rule. Lionesses which have 

 never had young are much more dangerous than those which have. 

 At no time is the lion so much to be dreaded as when his partner 

 has got small young ones. At that season he knows no fear, and, 

 in the coolest and most intrepid manner, he vvill face a thousand 

 men. A remarkable instance of this kind came under my own obser- 

 vation, which confirmed the reports I had before heard from the 

 natives. 



One day, when out elephant-hunting in the territory of the 

 Baseleka, accompanied by two hundred and fifty men, I was aston- 

 ished suddenly to behold a majestic lion slowly and steadily advanc- 

 ing towards us with a dignified step and undaunted bearing, the 

 most noble and imposing that can be conceived. Lashing his tail 

 from side to side, and growling haughtily, his terribly expressive 

 eye resolutely fixed upon us, and displaying a show of ivory well 

 calculated to inspire terror among the timid Bechuanas, he 

 approached. 



A headlong flight of the two hundred and fifty men was the 

 immediate result; and, in the confusion of the moment, four couples 

 of my dogs which they had been leading, were allowed to escape 

 in their couples. These instantly faced the lion, who, finding that 

 by his bold bearing he had succeeded in putting his enemies to 

 flight, now became solicitous for the safety of his little family, with 



