THE LION 39 



now streaming with blood, sprang back several yards 

 and remained facing him. Wolhuter scrambled to his 

 feet, and for what seemed to him hours, but was, no 

 doubt, little more than a second or two, man and beast 

 stood facing one another, the latter silent, and the 

 former, with some hazy idea of the power of the human 

 voice, calling it all the bad names he could think of. The 

 tension was relieved by the lion turning and walking 

 slowly away to a spot some thirty yards distant, where 

 after a few groans, it expired. 



Wolhuter meantime made shift to climb the tree under 

 which the incident had taken place, a task not made any 

 easier by his mangled arm. Having painfully settled 

 himself in the lower branches he began to feel faint, 

 and, fearing he would fall, he secured himself as well as 

 he could by the large handkerchief which he had been 

 wearing round his neck. It was well that he had not 

 remained on the ground, for soon the other lion returned 

 from an unsuccessful chase after the horse, and, arriving 

 at the point where the attack had been made, followed the 

 spoor of Wolhuter and its mate to the foot of the tree. 

 Whether it would have succeeded in pulling him from 

 his perch or not is uncertain, the branch being not much 

 more than ten feet from the ground, but at this moment 

 the dog came up and began a furious assault on the lion 

 from behind. This effectually kept the latter employed, 

 as on each occasion when it turned to Wolhuter,, after 

 having driven away the dog by a rush, it was only to 

 find itself once more assailed in the rear. 



While this was still going on, the " boys "and donkeys 

 came on the scene. Guns were fired, lights brought, and 

 Wolhuter released from his position. The three miles 

 to camp he speaks of as one of the most appalling times 

 he ever went through. He dressed his wounds as well 



