58 EXPEDITION IIS TO 



CHAPTEll IX. 



HUNTING AT MERITSANE. 



On opening- mj eyes^ my first tlioug-ht Avas of my horse. I 

 started from my heathy bed in the hope of finding* him 

 A\'here I had last seen him^ hut his place was empty. I 

 roamed every where in search of him^ and ascended trees 

 \\hich offered a g-ood look-out^ hut he was no where to he 

 seen. It was more than probable he had been eaten by lions, 

 and I had almost given up the search in despair, when I at 

 leng-th found his foot-mark, and traced him to a deep hollow 

 near the river where he was quietly g-razing-. The nig-ht's 

 rest, if so it could be called, had restored him to streng-th, 

 and I pursued my journe}' along- the bank of the river, 

 which I now re-crossed opposite to the site of some former 

 scene of strife, marked by numerous human skeletons, bleach- 

 ed by exposure. A little further on I disturbed a larg-e lion, 

 which walked slowly off, occasionally stopping- and looking* 

 over his shoulder, as he deliberately ascended the opposite 

 bank. In the course of half an hour, I reached the end of 

 the dense jung'le, and immediately discovered the wag-gon 

 road ; but as I could detect no recent traces upon it, I turned 

 to the southward, and after riding- seven or eig-ht miles in 

 the direction of Sicklag'ole, had the unspeakable satisfaction 

 of perceiving- the wag-g-ons drawn up under a larg-e tree in 

 the middle of the plain. The discharg-e of my rifle at a little 

 distance had relieved the anxiety of my companion and fol- 

 lowers, who during- the nig-ht had entertained the most g'loomy 

 foreboding's on my account, being- convinced that I had 



