592 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 



barely time to turn the gun and fire between the men and the 

 lion, and providentially the ball struck the ground imme- 

 diately under his head, as we found by examination the 

 following morning. From this surprise he returned, growling 

 dreadfully. The men darted through some thorn-bushes 

 with countenances indicative of the utmost terror. It was 

 now the opinion of all that we had better let him alone if 

 he did not molest us. 



Having but a scanty supply of wood to keep up a fire, one 

 man crept among the bushes on one side of the pool, while I 

 proceeded for the same purpose on the other side. I had not 

 gone far, when, looking upward to the edge of the small basin, 

 I discerned between me and the sky four animals, whose 

 attention appeared to be directed to me, by the noise I made 

 in breaking a dry stick. On closer inspection, I found that 

 the large, round, hairy-headed visiters were lions ; and 

 retreated on my hands and feet towards the other side of 

 the pool, when coming to my wagon-driver, to inform him 

 of our danger, I found him looking, with no little alarm, in 

 an opposite direction, and with good reason, as no fewer than 

 two lions, with a cub, were eyeing us both, apparently as 

 uncertain about us as we were distrustful of them. They 

 appeared, as they always do in the dark, twice the usual size. 

 We thankfully decamped to the wagon, and sat down to keep 

 alive our scanty fire, while we listened to the lion tearing and 

 devouring his prey. When any of the other hungry lions 

 dared to approach, he would pursue them for some paces, 

 with a horrible howl, which made our poor oxen tremble, and 

 produced any thing but agreeable sensations in ourselves. 

 We had reason for alarm, lest any of the six lions we saw, 

 fearless of our small fire, might rush in among us. The two 

 Barolongs were grudging the lion his fat meal, and would 

 now and then break the silence with a deep sigh, and expres- 

 sions of regret that such a vagabond lion should have such a 

 feast on their cow, which they anticipated would have afibrded 



