Native Courage. 103 



attack the villages of the Angoni tribe to such an extent. 

 In the old days the Angoni hunted them with shield and 

 spear, and I expect the lions have inherited a respect for 

 that tribe. 



I remember having a native pointed out to me who, with 

 a large knife, had killed a leopard, which jumped on him. 



One day I was passing along a path through the bush 

 and walking quickly when I saw this man ahead of me, 

 with a bundle of sweet potato leaves on his head and an 

 axe in his hand. I thought I would test his nerve, so, 

 having indiarubber shoes on, I walked close up, then sat 

 down behind a big rock close to the path and uttered 

 three or four sharp grunts something like a leopard's. The 

 resemblance must have been pretty close, for at the 

 first grunt he threw down his load and faced round, and 

 approached swinging his axe and giving vent to an occa- 

 sional yell. It was so amusing that I burst out laughing, 

 and so did this native when he saw that the supposed 

 " leopard " was a white man. He then looked rather 

 disgusted that his leg should have been pulled in this way. 

 However, he smiled again when I told him he had a 

 " strong" heart, and he went off quite pleased with 

 himself. 



Natives, I am afraid, think the white men mad, and I 

 have no doubt his story would amuse his friends when he 

 told it round the fires that evening. Many natives are 

 very plucky, and numerous incidents are on record of a 

 native gunbearer or tracker going to his master's aid w r hen 

 in danger from some wild animal. 



Again, others reason that it is foolish to run risks, as 

 man has only been given one life, and hold to the old 



couplet that 



He who fights and runs away 

 May live to fight another day. 



Natives have great faith in certain white men whom 

 they have often seen killing game, but their faith is more 

 in the weapon than the man. Rifles that do not kill much 

 game because they are not held straight are said to be 



