DRINKING HABITS OF THE LION. 247 



pass through the most suitable-looking haunts for the 

 lord of beasts, and yet not discover a sign that would 

 indicate his presence ; while, on the other hand, on the 

 open bare velt, 'where there is scarcely enough shelter to 

 hide a Namaqua partridge, up his highness will rise 

 before you as if he had sprung out of the soil. 



Of one thing, however, you may feel certain : you 

 will not discover him very far from water, unless at the 

 season when the sexes come together, and then their 

 conduct seems governed by no rule. At other times the 

 lion always drinks once in twenty -four hours, frequently 

 twice, immediately after dark or just before day breaks ; 

 but if he should chance to kill game during the day, and 

 have made a hearty meal of it, before retiring to sleep 

 he will go to water. As the lion is almost entirely 

 nocturnal in his habits, this does not occur frequently, 

 except in such distant, out-of-the-way places as are 

 seldom intruded on by human beings. That the lion 

 loves not man is certain, and by daylight will always 

 avoid him if possible, unless he be come upon unawares, 

 or be wounded, in either of which cases he will make a 

 stand, and in the latter assuredly show fight. 



The afternoon that we approached the Notawaney 

 the clouds appeared surcharged with rain ; towards 

 sunset the whole face of the western horizon looked so 

 dark and gloomy that one might well imagine that they 

 intended to shut out the coming day. 



I had. had a long, wearisome, trying treck ; game had 

 been abundant on both sides of the route, but, with the 

 exception of shooting a few francolins and guinea-fowl, 

 I had not had my gun in my hands. But for the 

 thorns this might have been otherwise ; for they were 

 so numerous, so dense, that I could not bring myself to 



