78 Recollections of Adventure* 



with savages and wild animals, some of which 

 might not be credited. 



Commandant Frederick Giester, who had been a 

 great chum of Alex, in the war with Semondo and 

 the Zoutpansberg tribes, was now living on an out- 

 of-the-way farm near Deelkraal, south east of 

 Marabastadt. I had exchanged a new wagon with 

 him for oxen, which I had to go and select on 

 another farm, some miles distant. He gave me a 

 game little shooting pony to ride, but warned me to 

 be back early, as lions had been very troublesome 

 lately, and the pony would throw me off if he could 

 smell any, as they had nearly caught him once or 

 twice. I was detained rather late at the cattle farm. 

 While on the road back it got dark and the old pony 

 became very nervous. When about two miles from 

 Geister's, while going through some thick bush, the 

 pony bounded suddenly forward, fortunately keeping 

 the road to the house, and on the instant a lion sprang 

 at us. I could feel the wind of him on my back, as 

 he missed his spring, owing to the alertness of the 

 pony. Had I not been riding " tight " since the pony 

 became nervous, I must have come off and then the 

 lion would have lain down with the lamb, but with 

 the lamb inside. If I had jerked the pony and 

 checked him in his bound, his lordship would have had 

 us both and overeaten himself. I was sorry for his 

 disappointment, but charity begins at home ! When 

 I arrived at Geister's, he met me at the door and 

 said at once " You have had an escape, the pony 

 is wet with sweat and trembling all over," and I 

 told him how splendidly the brave little horse had 

 eaved my life. He said, " Yes, he is alright if you 

 can only sit him when he takes fright." In my 

 case my fear of the lion was greater than of a pony 

 bolting in the dark, so I sat him. A few days after 



