THE HOTTENTOT AND THE LION 469 



broke through the herd, making directly after the Hottentot, 

 who, on turning round and perceivin'g that the monster had 

 singled him out, breathless and half dead with fear, scrambled 

 up one of the tree-aloes, in the trunk of which a few steps had 

 luckily been cut out to come at some birds' nests that the 

 branches contained. At the same moment the lion made a 

 spring at him, but missing his aim, fell upon the ground. In 

 surly silence he walked round the tree, casting at times a dread- 

 ful look towards the poor Hottentot, who screened himself from 

 his sight behind the branches. Having remained silent and 

 motionless for a length of time, he at length ventured to peep, 

 hoping that the lion had taken his departure, when to his great 

 terror and astonishment, his eyes met those of the animal, 

 which, as the poor fellow afterwards expressed himself, flashed 

 fire at him. In short, the lion laid himself down at the foot of 

 the tree, and did not remove from the place for twenty-four 

 hours. At the end of this time, becoming parched with thirst, 

 he went to a spring at some distance in order to drink. The 

 Hottentot now, with trepidation, ventured to descend, and 

 scampered oif home, which was not more than a mile distant, 

 as fast as his feet could carry him. 



Another time an elderly Hottentot observed a lion following 

 him at a great distance for two hours together. He thence 

 naturally concluded that the lion only waited the approach of 

 darkness in order to make him his prey ; and in the meantime 

 expected nothing else than to serve for this fierce animal's 

 supper, as he had no other weapon of defence than a staff. But 

 as he was well acquainted with the nature of the lion and the 

 manner of his seizing upon his prey, and at the same time had 

 leisure at intervals to ponder on the ways and means in which 

 it was most probable that his existence would be put an end to, 

 he at length hit upon an expedient for saving his life. For this 

 end, instead of making his way home, he looked out for a kli'p- 

 krans, or a rocky place, level a.t top, and having a perpendicular 

 precipice on one side of it ; and sitting down on the edge of one 

 of these precipices, he found to his great satisfaction that the 

 lion also made a halt, and kept the same distance as before. As 

 soon as it grew dark, the Hottentot sliding a little forwards, let 

 himself down below the upper edge of the precipice upon a pro- 

 jecting part of the rock, where he could barely keep himself from 



