VARIOUS. 69 



I went ahead and posted myself, when I heard the 

 report of Mataffayen's gun, and then a fierce roaring of 

 lions. Mataffayen was hallooing out in Caffre : " No, 

 you don't ! Get back, you brutes ! Ah, would you ! " 



I ran up as hard as I could, but as I ran the roaring 

 suddenly ceased, and Moyen pointed back to the other 

 end of the covert. There were two lions going away as 

 hard as they could. 



On getting nip to MatafTayen, I found him trembling 

 with excitement. It appears that while following the 

 traces of the buffaloes he observed a lion and lioness 

 recumbent under the bush. The male lion was lying on 

 his flank, with the back of his head turned towards 

 Mataffayen, who aimed between his ears with the idea 

 of shooting him through the brain ; but his gun being, as 

 usual, overcharged, threw the bullet too high, and thus 

 perhaps grazed the lion and irritated him. The lions 

 sprang up, and wheeling round charged up to within a 

 few feet of Mataffayen, but, being checked by his de- 

 termined attitude, stopped and contented themselves 

 with roaring at him. His position was rendered more 

 critical by the conduct of the other natives, who bolted, 

 leaving Mataffayen to face the lions. I asked him why 

 he did not shoot the male lion through the head with 

 his second barrel ; and he replied that there being two of 

 them, if he had killed one, the other would have sprung 

 upon him and killed him. 



I remember, in connection with the subject of lions, a 

 most melancholy incident, which I did not witness my- 

 self, but which was related to me upon the best authority. 

 I may not give the details with absolute correctness, for 

 the story was told me many years ago by those who 

 were present on the occasion. 



