SOUTH AFRICA FIFTY YEARS AGO 67 



noise, of course, woke us all, and dogs, Kafirs, Hotten- 

 tots, Murray and myself had our work fully cut out ; our 

 assailants kept just outside the firelight, making savage 

 rushes at the dogs, but never giving us the chance of a 

 shot. I stood for a long time in very scant attire (some- 

 one brought me a jacket and trousers later on), my first 

 entrance to the scene being anything but noble, for on running 

 from the waggon to the front my foot caught in a creeper, and 

 I fell heavily. The Kafirs behaved admirably, never yielding 

 an inch, though the lions were very determined. After 

 half an hour or so we nursed the fires into brighter glow, 

 and increased the circle of light around us, and things grew 

 rather calmer. We could hear every breath and angry purr, 

 though as we were looking into the dark we could see nothing. 

 For some time I made a Kafir stand beside me and throw 

 brands into the darkness, hoping by a gleam to get sufficient 

 indication of the whereabouts of our foes for a shot but in vain. 

 I fired frequently as near as I could guess on the spot where 

 the purring seemed to come from, and could hear the angry 

 beast make a dash at the pinging ball. But I struck nothing 

 save .the ground. However, we had checked the onset, and 

 now had only to keep on the alert. Just before the day broke 

 the siege was raised, and I was on horseback to look out a 

 better camping-ground for the next night. As I cleared the 

 low jungle which lay around us, a lioness broke away from 

 the edge of it and took across an opening beyond. She was 

 eighty yards from me, rather too long a shot for the old Purdey ; 

 but there was cover ahead from which I could not cut her off, 

 and I was savage enough at her unwished-for attentions during 

 the night, for she was, no doubt, one of the three, and oh ! how 

 glad I was when I heard the ball thud, and saw her stride 

 short. I mounted and rode her to a standstill in a couple of 

 hundred yards, when she squatted in front of a bush. I got 

 within twenty or twenty-five yards of her, intending to dis- 

 mount, but found I had fired all my loose balls away during 

 the night, and that the one in the barrel was all I had to 



