172 Men, Mines, and Animals in South Africa. 



pool hard by, we were startled by the sound of a 

 loud " cooey " from " the Baboon," who had been 

 left about half a mile behind us. Lee exclaimed, 

 " He has seen a lion." AVe remounted quickly 

 and galloped off to " the Baboon," who told us he 

 had met " a great lion " coming from our direction, 

 who had stopped and looked at him, and after a 

 few seconds had moved away. " The Baboon's " 

 manners and gestures in describing the appearance 

 of the lion were most quaint and grotesque. He 

 said he was immense in size, with an enormous 

 black mane, and added that when he saw him he 

 was so frio-htened that his hat was lifted off his head 

 by his hair standing on end. We galloped in the 

 direction which " the Baboon " said that the lion 

 had taken, but, though we found and followed his 

 spoor some distance, we never saw him, groatlv to 

 the distress of Captain Williams. On our way 

 back to camp Captain Williams and I each secured 

 close to the river two cow waterbucks. We were 

 rather unfortunate on this occasion, as immediately 

 after we had hred a fine bull waterbuck with long 

 horns and an equally good koodoo bull made their 

 appearance from the spruit in which the cows had 

 been feeding, and Avent off rmharmed. On the 

 whole, the day had been a pleasant one, and we had 

 had much sport. 



So strongly were we possessed by the charms 

 of " Lion Camp " and its neighbourhood, that we 

 "were unable that evening to make up our minds 

 to leave it, and although almost out of j)rovisions, 

 tea, coffee, biscuits, flour, jam, all being consumed, 



