LIOXS. 159 



he now is, the most successful of all men in his warfare 

 with wild animals. 



In a note to the Poetical Remains of Mr. Pringle, I 

 find the following remarkable escape : ' Lucas Yan 

 Buren usually carried a huge elephant gun, as long 

 and unwieldy as himself ; but left it at home one day 

 when he had most need of it. He was riding across 

 the open plains near the Little Fish river, one morning 

 about daybreak, when observing a lion at a distance, 

 he endeavoured to avoid him by making a circuit. 

 There were thousands of springboks scattered over 

 the extensive flats ; but from the open nature of the 

 country the lion had probably been unsuccessful in his 

 hunting. Lucas soon perceived that he was not dis- 

 posed to let him pass without further parlance, and that 

 he was rapidly approaching to the encounter. Being 

 without his gun, the farmer, little disposed to cultivate 

 his acquaintance, turned his horse off at right angle, 

 and galloped for life. But it was too late ; the horse 

 was fagged, and bore a heavy man upon his back ; the 

 lion was fresh, furious with hunger, and came down 

 upon him like a thunderbolt. In a few minutes he 

 brought man and horse to the ground. Luckily the 

 man was not hurt, and the lion was too much occupied 

 with the horse to pay any attention to him. Hardly 

 knowing how he escaped, he contrived to do so, and 

 reached the nearest house. His remarks, when he re- 

 lated his adventure, were concerning the audacity of the 

 lion in attacking a Christian man ; but his chief vexation 

 was about the saddle. He returned to the spot the 

 next day, and found the horse's bones picked clean, 

 lion and saddle having both disappeared. Lucas said 

 he could excuse the beast for killing the horse, as he 

 had allowed himself to escape j but the abstraction of 



