THE LION 17 



spruit. They picked them up and were carrying them 

 away, when the lioness, which had been sleeping close by, 

 discovered what was going on, and began to growl 

 loudly. She made no attempt to charge, but contented 

 herself with demonstrating from covert. The natives 

 who were in the open, and had a good start, ran for some 

 distance with the cubs, but, the lioness continuing to 

 follow, still concealed in the bush near the stream, they 

 became frightened, and, dropping their captures, made 

 the best of their way home. Early in the morning, 

 having obtained assistance, they proceeded once more 

 to the spot, and to their surprise found two of the young 

 animals lying half dead from cold, not far from where 

 they had been dropped. The third had been taken 

 away by the lioness, and her tracks were followed for 

 over three miles. It was plain from these that she had 

 been trotting all the time. In this case it seems likely 

 that the mother was so nervous of human beings that not 

 only did she refrain from attacking in the first instance, 

 but was afraid to return to fetch the remainder of her 

 offspring, both of which died a few days later of pneu- 

 monia, due to their exposure in the open during a frosty 

 night. 



A terrible adventure befell a trooper of the Transvaal 

 Police during the winter of 1908. He was on patrol with 

 a companion in the north of the Zoutspansberg district, 

 when two Boers were met, bringing, on a wagon, a 

 couple of lion cubs, which they had picked up. Night 

 being at hand, and it being considered probable that 

 the bereaved lioness might make herself unpleasant, 

 the whole party agreed to camp together. In the morning 

 before the wagon had been inspanned, the police pro- 

 ceeded on their way. The senior, Eagle by name, a 

 Canadian, and a keen hunter, instructed his companion 



