START FOR PAMAFUNDA. 223 



shortly after this, when a fine lion sprang from within 

 a few yards of me, and was out of sight in an instant. 

 At that moment I was employed cutting a pipe of 

 tobacco, while Chinsoro held my gun. It was indeed a 

 sell, but maybe it was all for the best. A little fur- 

 ther on I met four natives busy cutting up a reed- 

 bock which they said had just been killed by a lion. 

 They had seen him kill it, and then frightened him 

 away in order to get the meat. Doubtless it was the 

 same lion I had seen. 



As I was now within a few miles of Pamafunda, 

 and anxious to get there early, I started at once ; but 

 scarcely had I left these men when one of their num- 

 ber followed me, and asked whether I would shoot 

 an elephant? "Would a duck swim?" thought I. 

 On my replying in the affirmative, the man said, 

 " There are two standing under a tree not very far 

 off." Leaving my porters behind, and accompanied 

 by only Chinsoro and Mobita, with spare guns, I fol- 

 lowed my new guide little more than a hundred yards, 

 when he pointed out the two animals. Through the 

 trees, which here were small and thin, forming, in 

 fact, a kind of copse, I crawled on my hands and knees 

 to within ten yards of them, and standing up sharply, 

 shot the largest in the forehead. The second spun 

 round and bolted so quickly, that the only chance I 

 had was a long shot behind the ear, which, how- 

 ever, only staggered him, and he went away roar- 

 ing and trumpeting alternately. Poor brute, I was 

 sorry I had fired at him at that distance, for though 

 he was only twenty yards off', he was almost out of 

 range, and must have had a hard rap. The fallen 



