DAMARA CHASED BY A LIONESS. 73 



to the ground, and seizing a double-barrelled gun, 

 which I always kept loaded for emergencies, I made 

 towards the beast, intending to punish her for her 

 audacity, when Hans imploringly begged me to 

 desist. " For," said he, " if you do not shoot her 

 dead on the spot, she will be down upon us in an 

 instant." 



Allowing myself to be guided by his advice, I 

 refrained from firing, but, nevertheless, took up 

 my position within about fifty paces of, and op- 

 posite to, the lioness, as well to draw off her atten- 

 tion from the men, and thus enable them to put 

 the cattle and vehicles to rights, so as to be in readi- 

 ness to give her a warm reception, should she 

 think proper to charge. 



A short time before we were thus unceremoniously 

 attacked, one of the draught oxen, which had 

 always been very wild, managed to escape from the 

 yoke, and a fleet-footed Dainara was left behind to 

 bring him on. In the midst of our confusion, we 

 heard cries of distress and loud shouting behind us ; 

 and, on looking round, we saw, to our horror, tho 

 lion in full chase both of the refractory ox and of the 

 man, who was trying to keep off his fierce pursuer 

 by violently waving the fire-brand which he carried 

 in his hand.* Telling Hans to mind the lioness as 

 well as he could in my absence, I immeditely ran 

 to the rescue of the Damara and his charge ; but, 

 before I had proceeded far, the ox, catching sight 



* In the nights the Damaras invariably carry a fire-brand, which 

 they hold close to their bodies, in order to shelter themselves, in 

 some degree, from the wind and cold. 



