An Unlucky Trip 69 



when the moon rose, went to bed, the two boys 

 sleeping close to the wagon with a big fire beyond 

 them. I slept in the wagon but with the front flap 

 open and my loaded gun on the bed. About one 

 o'clock, (the moon shining brightly) I was awakened 

 by a yell. I jumped out half asleep, nearly on 

 to a lion who was standing over a kaffir boy. 

 The lion got as big a fright as I did, and 

 dropped the boy, bounding into the bush, but not 

 before my old Jonas had struck him over the head 

 with a fire stick. I saw the sparks and hot coals on 

 his mane, took aim at him as he bounded away, but 

 found he was just in line with Mr. Prinsloo's camp, 

 BO I jumped to get a side shot, but he was too quick 

 for me and I never got a shot at all. The boy, 

 September, had been seized with his kaross round 

 him which probably saved his life, but his arm was 

 broken in two places while three of his ribs were 

 also broken. The wonderful part of the performance 

 was, that the lion had torn to pieces, a new, white 

 blanket I had given the boy and only seized him 

 when he came to the familiar skin kaross. I had to 

 sit up the rest of the night with the wounded boy 

 who was badly lacerated and in agony. Next 

 morning old Mrs. Prinsloo gave me remedies, and we 

 bandaged him as well as we could. He said that he 

 wanted to get to his kraal in Rhenosterpoort. At 

 great inconvenience I had to make him up a bed in 

 the back of the wagon by day, and let him sleep 

 under the wagon at night. I got him to his people 

 and they said that they would cure him, although 

 the bites were festering badly. I paid him some- 

 thing extra besides his wages and got a friend of his 

 in his place. I never heard of him again. Old 

 Jonas declared it was all because of my shooting the 

 big snake. We certainly had a harassing trip 

 anyhow. 



