NICIIT-STTOOTINC. 177 



forward, and stood on the bank close above us, and 

 roared most terribly, walking up and down, as if 

 meditating some mischief. I now thought it high 

 time to make a fire, and quickly collecting some dry 

 reeds and little sticks, in half a minute we had a 

 cheerful blaze. 



" The lion, which had not yet got our wind, came 

 forward at once, to find out what the deuce was up ; 

 but, not seeing to his entire satisfaction from the 

 top of the bank, he was proceeding to descend by a 

 game-path in the river-bed within a few yards of us. 

 I happened at the very moment to go to this spot 

 to fetch more wood, and being entirely concealed 

 from the lion's view above by the intervening high 

 reeds, we actually met face to face. 



" The first notice I got was his sudden spring to 

 one side, accompanied by repeated angry growls, 

 whilst I involuntarily made a convulsive spring 

 backwards, at the same time giving a fearful shriek, 

 such as I never remember uttering before. 1 fancied 

 just as he growled that ho was coming upon me; we 

 now heaped on more wood, and kept up a very 

 strong fire until the day dawned, the lions feasting 

 beside us all the time, notwithstanding the remon- 

 strances of the little native, who, with a true 

 Bechuana spirit, lamenting the loss of so much good 

 flesh, kept continually shouting and pelting them 

 with flaming brands. 



" The next morning, when it was light, I arose 

 and inspected the buffaloes. The three that had 

 fallen were fine old cows, and two of them were 

 partly consumed by the lions. The ground all 



