24 SPORT, TRAVEL, AND ADVENTURE 



direction of the river, followed by the bellowing of 

 a buffalo and confused noises. 



The desert rang 

 With clanging sound of desperate strife, 



as if several lions were attacking a buffalo. After 

 a time all was quiet and he turned in, having 

 seen that the fires were replenished. 



He had slept for perhaps an hour or two, when 

 he was rudely, awakened by the cries of the boys, 

 who, the next moment, together with two local 

 natives, rushed into the small tent shouting out that 

 several lions were in the camp. Prinsloo, although 

 by no means averse to company when lions were about, 

 objected to five natives crowding into the tiny tent, 

 in which two men could hardly move about, and so, 

 by dint of well-directed kicks, he cleared them out. 

 The boys promptly swarmed up the nearest tree, which 

 happened to be a very slender one, so that when the 

 valiant five perched themselves aloft to watch develop- 

 ments they began to realize with fear that it was quite 

 on the cards that the branches would break, for the 

 one would beseech the other to get down and climb 

 up another tree. In the meantime the three lions 

 which the boys had seen approached until they stood 

 on a slightly elevated spot on which we used to peg 

 out skins to dry, about ten yards from the tent, and 

 were at times plainly visible by the flickering light 

 of the dying fires. Two other lions were heard 

 growling on the other side of the camp, and presently 

 one of them came forward, and the boys in the tree 

 informed Prinsloo that they could make it out lying in 

 the grass behind one of their huts. 



