THE LION OF SOUTH AFEICA. 89 



enter the enclosure, but the intrepid widow went in 

 alone armed with a gun. In the darkness she could 

 scarcely see the lion, but she fired nevertheless ; the 

 wounded animal rushed upon her and threw her down. 

 At the cries of the poor woman her two sons ran to her 

 assistance ; they found the lion attacking his prey. 

 Furious and desperate, they rushed upon him, and 

 slaughtered him on the bleeding body of their mother. 

 Besides the deep wounds which she received in the 

 throat and on different parts of her body, the lion had 

 bitten off her hand, which he had devoured. 



All help was useless, and the same night she expired, 

 in the midst of the sorrows and vain regrets of her 

 children and -the assembled servants. 



After a successful expedition against the bushmen, 

 who had stolen some cattle, Le Vaillant returned to a 

 spot where the evening before he had left two Kami- 

 nouquois, who had served him as guides. "Just as 

 we were approaching, I heard from the troop ahead 

 such frightful cries as almost froze my blood with 

 alarm. I ran up immediately, and saw a frightful 

 spectacle, the picture of which haunts me to this hour. 

 Those two unfortunate savages, who so generously had 

 offered to conduct me, were lying on the ground, 

 almost dead, and weltering in their blood. 



" My first idea was that they had been murdered by 

 some of those belonging to the horde we had been 



