198 THE LI OX. 



and plunging wildly, is a most awkward steed for the 

 best of riders. The lion galloped up ; he and I 

 were side by side. The lion made his spring, and 

 one heavy paw came on the nape of the ox's neck, 

 and rolled him over; the other paw clutched my 

 arm, and tore the sleeve of my skirt to ribbons, but 

 did not wound me, and there we all three lay. 

 Though I was thrown upon my gun, I, nevertheless} 

 contrived to wriggle it out of the case, the lion 

 snarling and clutching at me all the time. For all 

 that, I put both bullets into the beast, which fell, 

 rose again and turned round, and then limped, 

 bleeding into a neighbouring thicket. Shaken as I 



O "* O O 



was I let him go. There were no dogs to follow 

 him, so he was allowed to die in peace; but, after- 

 wards, his 'spoor' was taken up, and his remains 

 found." 



Again : lions had been unusually numerous and 

 daring one particular year iu the country about the 

 Missionary station at Hichterfeldt, where my friend 

 the Rev. Mr. Halm was then located; so numerous 

 were they, indeed, that his waggon-driver, Piet, 

 who, like my own follower, Hans, was a mighty 

 Nimrod, had, with the aid of his two foster-sons, 

 killed upwards of twenty in the course of a few 

 months, and many and wonderful were their escapes 

 irom those beasts. 



One night, the old man was awakened by a pe- 

 culiar noise outside his door, which was constructed 

 so as to shut in two parts, The lower division was 

 closed, but the upper was left open on account of 

 the oppressive state of the atmosphere. Quietly 



