SOUTHERN AFRICA. 177 



deep groan^ and expiring' without a strug'g-le. His heig'ht 

 at the shoulder was eleven feet and a half, and his tusks 

 measured more than seven in length. The echo of the 

 shot, reverberating" throug'h hill and dale, caused the mare 

 to break her tether and abscond, and broug'ht larg*e tribes 

 of pig-faced baboons from their sylvan haunts, to afford 

 me anything' but sympathy. Their ridiculous gi'imaces, 

 however, could not fail to elicit my mirth, w^hatever mig-ht 

 have been my humour. It was long' before I recovered 

 my horse, and I did not reg'ain the w^ag'g'ons until after 

 nig-htfall. The new moon broug'ht, if possible, a more 

 abundant supply of rain than usual; nor did the lions 

 fail to take advantag-e of the nocturnal tempest, having" 

 twice endeavoured to effect an entrance into the cattle-fold. 

 It continued until nine o'clock the next morning*, to pour 

 with such violence, that we were unable to open the canvas 

 curtains of the wag'^on. Peeping- out, however, to ascer- 

 tain if there was any prospect of its clearing* up, w^e per- 

 ceived three lions squatted within a hundred yards, in the 

 open plain, attentively watching* the oxen. Our rifles w^ere 

 hastily seized, but the dampness of the atmosphere pre- 

 vented their exploding*. One after another, too, the Hot- 

 tentots sprang' out of the pack-wag*g*on, and snapped their 

 g*uns at the unwelcome intruders, as they trotted sulkily 

 away, and took up their position on a stony eminence at 

 no g'reat distance. Fresh caps and priming* were applied, 

 and a broadside was followed by the instantaneous demise 

 of the larg-est, whose cranium was perforated by two bullets 

 at the same instant. Swing*ing' their tails over their backs, 

 the survivors took warning* by the fate of their companion, 

 and dashed into the thicket with a roar. In another half- 

 hour, the voice of Leo w as ag*ain heard at the foot of the 

 mountains, about a quarter of a mile from the camp ; and 

 from the wag-g-on-top we could perceive a savag'e monster 



N 



