66 Recollections of Adventures 



I had ridden hard from Pretoria to Rustenberg on 

 important business, and having finished it returned 

 the same night, when a few miles from Pretoria, the 

 sun being up and getting warm, I fell asleep on the 

 horse, when all at once I found myself sitting on the 

 road, and President Pretorius and two others sitting 

 on their horses laughing at me, my horse having 

 shied when they came up. I have always felt kindly 

 towards the old ex-President (who died in poverty), 

 and for good old Hendrick and his kindly wife. 



Cornelius Botha, who was afterwards Paul 

 Kruger's private secretary, and old Piet Venter, had 

 a terrible experience. They were travelling in a 

 cart from Pretoria to the Warm Baths, it was getting 

 late near " Vaalboschfontein," so they could not get 

 over the Springbuck Flats in daylight. Suddenly a 

 lion sprang on to their horses and killed them both, 

 and then more lions joined in, eating them while in 

 the harness. The two men crouched in the bottom of 

 the cart, which was open and at an angle, with the 

 pole on the ground, and every time they moved in 

 the least the lions would get up and growl. This 

 kept on through the night. At daylight, when 

 the lions had finished the horses, they went off. 

 Why they did not kill the two men, (which they 

 could easily have done,) is not to be explained. 

 Botha said that the night seemed to interminable, 

 and they had to walk twenty-five miles after their 

 awful night 's vigil. "Vaalbosch" has now some 

 cottages I put up for a winter shooting box, Kaffir 

 kraals, and the railway to Pietersburg passing 

 through it, and there are houses and stores along 

 the road. Then there was a stretch of forty odd 

 miles without a habitation as I have reason to 

 remember. 



On the return from Zoutpansberg one trip I was 

 sitting with P. Minnaar on his wagon, two of mine 



