252 LARGE GAME. CHAP. v. 



an eye-witness of it, was then living in Natal, having 

 retired upon his earnings ; but some time afterwards, 

 when passing by the place where he described it as having 

 occurred, I found it corroborated in every particular by 

 the natives of the district. 



Three hunters had started together from the colony 

 for the Amatonga country to shoot ivory for their Euro- 

 pean employer, and after having been absent for nearly 

 eighteen months, were on their way back, and instead of 

 as usual taking the coast road and passing through 

 Somkeli's country, they made for the Pongolo Pass, 

 having heard of some disturbances in Zululand which 

 made them doubt their being able to get through it safely. 

 On the day on which they left the last Amatonga kraals 

 the people there strongly warned them not to pass by a 

 certain reed-margined lagoon which otherwise lay in their 

 most direct route to the pass, saying it was frequented by 

 a savage lion which had already killed, though it had not 

 eaten, two passers-by, and had on several occasions given 

 vindictive chase to others. However, as lions at that 

 date and in that part were very numerous, hunting in 

 troops of even thirty individuals, and these hunters had 

 been meeting them with mutual respect and forbearance 

 on nearly every day of the eighteen months of their 

 expedition, they thought very little of the warning and 

 took that very path. 



They had reached the lagoon and were passing within 

 five or six yards of the edge, when, without further warn- 

 ing than a slight rustle, a lion sprang upon the foremost, 

 crushing him to the ground. His terrified comrades, 

 throwing away the chance of shooting the brute while it 



