CHAPTEE XXII. 



" LIONS ! " 



Travelling Habits of the Lion His Haunting the Vicinity of Water Conduct 

 by Night and by Day A Wearisome Treck The Lion in the Matabele 

 Country The Skulking Hyaenas Wounds of the Natives Livingstone on 

 the South African Lion The Bakatlas and the Lion A Lion's Eevenge 

 Livingstone Attacked The Lion's shaking of his Prey The Macalaca and 

 his Musket Our Bay Horse Lions Expected Precautions against Assault 

 or Plunder How Children are often Lost The Notawaney A Frightful 

 Incline "Lion!" An Uncomfortable Night The Scene of the Lions' 

 Depredation Horse Dead Our People descend from their Trees Col- 

 lecting our Cattle Bullock shot Dead in mistake for a Lion Bravado 

 Tracing the Spoor Come upon a Lioness Killed on the Spot. 



" You will not hear a lion until you have crossed the 

 JSTotawaney Eiver," echoed in my ears Curtin, Gordon, 

 Eeed ; and, in fact, all the authorities in Zeerust said the 

 same thing, although it was an undisputed fact that 

 three had heen seen close to Potschefstrom road a week 

 or two hefore, and another had heen killed a month or 

 two previously in the vicinity of Klerksdorp. On this 

 occasion the prophets were correct; but it was one of 

 those chance circumstances that sometimes occur, and 

 lead to the belief that persons occasionally have the gift 

 of divination. 



The fact is that lions travel so much in the wet season 

 that if there is one within a hundred miles of you, you 

 can never feel certain that it will not pay you a visit ; they 

 appear and disappear in the most mysterious manner, and 

 generally in the most unexpected way. Thus you may 



