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FRANTIC OXEN. 53 



the reader it may appear impossible that any 

 animal can produce a volume of sound that almost 



ivals the thunder in its density ; but let me assure 

 m, if he has heard a mature male lion not a 

 logical one in the full vigour of his life, give 

 terance to his wrath, he will agree with me that 

 ere is a sublimity and grandeur and volume in the 

 ice, which, if it does not equal the depth and 

 wer of thunder, very nearly approaches to it. 

 If quiet had comparatively reigned before, now 



1 was excitement. The bullocks rushed to and fro, 

 ing to break their rheims, the horses reared and 



ulled upon their halters as if determined to strangle 

 themselves or upset the waggon, while every servant 

 who was not armed seized a firebrand and shouted 

 and called to the beasts of burthen with the hope 

 of stilling their fears. 



So intense was the darkness that nothing could 

 be seen, yet William fired a couple of shots in the 

 direction from which he imagined the roar pro- 

 eded. The blaze and report of his heavy elephant 

 gun, one would imagine, would have driven off any- 

 thing in the form of a quadruped ; but not so, the 

 lion roared again at even shorter distance than at 

 first, causing the bullocks to become more frantic, 

 and, therefore, to use further power and strength 

 to break their rheims. 



I thought I could trust my rheims new buffalo 

 ones but, alas ! I was in error, for a more violent 



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