58 THE LI OX. 



had some time previously carried off one of ray 

 friend's people. 



These animals were very accurately described by 

 the natives, who said that the smaller of them catered 

 for the larger ; and that this daring monster had been 

 known to enter a village arid carry off no fewer than 

 three individuals the same night, returning in the day- 

 time to feast on the remains of the victims. They told 

 my friend, moreover, that upwards of one hundred 

 human beings had already fallen a prey to the beasts 

 in question, adding " that the Bushmen, located in 

 the neighbourhood, had been necessitated to fly 

 the country in consequence of so many of their kith 

 and kin having been killed by them." 



"A Bushman, whom we found in the vicinity, 

 on our way northward," Mr. Green further wrote, 

 "fully corroborated this statement ; and on being 

 interrogated as to whether there were any villages 

 of his countrymen along the Omuramba to the east- 

 ward, replied at once that they could not live 

 there, as the lions destroyed so many of them." 

 The Darnaras, moreover, when speaking of these 

 formidable foes always said, " Those lions ! the 

 smaller alone killing the people, are known through- 

 out all this region, pointing at the same time to the 

 north, south, east, and west, and are the dread of 

 every one." 



" Now it was the lesser of the ' man-eaters,' ' 

 my friend went on to say, " of which I had so 

 happily rid the country, and I consequently felt 

 more pleased than if I had killed the largest bull- 

 elephant that roams the wastes of Africa. I had 



