CHAPTER XI. 

 GIRAFFES AND MORE LIONS. 



One trip, on my way to the Spelonken, the 

 wagons had just crossed the Doom River to outspan. 

 when I spied three giraffes walking away from the 

 river. I ran after them on foot and wounded one, 

 when I happened to turn round and saw a large 

 black maned lion bounding out of the river towards 

 me. I had no time to reload my 8 to the Ib. muzzle- 

 loader, so jumped behind a large antheap with bushes 

 growing out of it. He came on, but kept looking 

 over his shoulder the echo of my shot must have 

 wakened him out of his evening nap I turned 

 round so as to keep the bushy antheap between us ; 

 when he bounded past only a few yards off. When 

 some distance past, he looked back and saw me, and 

 I thought he was going to stop, so in my fright I 

 jumped on to the antheap, waved my hat and shouted 

 loudly, when to my intense relief he continued his 

 course. When a lion starts bolting he seems like a 

 human being and becomes demoralized. With thost 

 old muzzle-loaders I wonder we were not all killed 

 by one animal or another. If I had had a breech 

 loader I could have killed him as he passed close to 

 me. When you did hit, it was, however, a different 

 thing to the 303 used now, you generally got him, 

 but your shoulder was often blue and green from the 

 kick. We used to pad the stock of the Cto the Ib. 

 and 8 to the Ib. rifles (spherical bullets). Afterwards, 

 conical bullets came into use, and the smaller bore 

 was much handier for using on horseback. It is won- 

 derful what splendid shooting the old " voortrekkers " 

 made with their smooth bore old fashioned flintlocks. 



