An Unpleasant Ride 71 



good forage, and old Watt fell asleep (quite done up) 

 under a tree at the back of the house. I left him, 

 as he was useless anyway, and I told Enslin not 

 to let him get liquor. Next morning we started 

 early and reached " Naboomfontein " at sundown. 

 We could not go nearer the Macapan's Poort ; 

 the kaffirs were troublesome, as some had been 

 shot shortly before. I made a rough screen of such 

 thorn bushes as I could collect (having no axe), and 

 collected a lot of fire wood, as it was a bad place 

 for lions. I tied up the horses and had a scratch 

 supper. Watt said he was ill and would do nothing 

 but sleep off the effects of his long " drunk." As 

 soon as it was dark the lions commenced roaring 

 along the river banks, and towards midnight came 

 so near that I could hear them moving about and 

 breathing in their peculiar way. The horses were 

 tired, securely tied with strong reims, behind the 

 thorn fence. I stood behind it and talked to them ; 

 but the lions did their best to make them break 

 away. I kept the fire going, but had not much 

 wood and I was so dead tired that I dared not sit 

 down, or I should have fallen asleep. Before daylight 

 the brutes went off after other game. The moon 

 was then up, I knew that I could not keep awake 

 much longer, so I wakened up Watt and made him 

 saddle up ; we started along the road at a good pace, 

 for two reasons ; first to get a distance from the 

 lions, and secondly to try to get through Macapan's 

 Poort before any kaffirs were about. I was going 

 gaily, when I found myself in the middle of a group 

 of buffaloes, which had been lying on a bare place 

 near Kotjes Zijn Loop. In a minute they were 

 galloping all round me, but soon gave my horses a 

 wide berth, my only fear then was that in the dust 

 they made, they would not see me, and run me 

 down ; my horses behaved well, and stood still, till 



