44 Eecollections of Adventures 



darkness ; but hit the dead horse close to her nose 

 more than once. Our white companion was in a 

 " mortal funk " and quite demoralised, so I told him 

 to get inside the wagon and draw the blinds ! My 

 brother Edward asked permission to come with me, 

 but I did not like to risk it, so would not let him. 

 Finding it impossible to make a good shot in the 

 dark, I decided to wait for daylight, so built a fire 

 about 30 yards from her, and sent the boys to stand 

 round the cattle while Ted and I watched her. As 

 the dawn was breaking, she gained confidence from 

 being so long unmolested and stood up, intending I 

 think, to lift the horse and take him further off. I 

 fired, and broke her shoulders, and she made a terrible 

 commotion ; I had just before firing told the boys to 

 inspan, and get to grass and water on the Elands 

 River. They were just about finished inspanning 

 when the loose cattle stampeded, the two spans with 

 the wagons followed, rushing through the trees, 

 smashing both tents of my handsome new wagons, 

 breaking gear and half killing some oxen, one of my 

 hind oxen being rendered useless a regular smash 

 up all round. I could run in those days, and I did 

 run, to try and stop the stampede, but only succeeded 

 as far as the wagons were concerned, when the oxen 

 got so entangled in the trees, they could go no 

 further. By this time we were far from the dead 

 horse and lions, and were so employed in repairing 

 damages, that we could not go back to skin them, so 

 went to Elands River, where we found the loose 

 cattle. Philip Minnaar's Hottentot going to the 

 stock farm during the day, found the male lion dead 

 in the patch of grass in the hollow, and the lioness 

 with both shoulders broken, lying near the horse. 

 He shot her and so he got two skins. It was an 

 expensive amusement for me ! Once coming back 

 from the Spelonken, I was outspanned east of Stryd- 



