ABUNDANCE OF GAME. 175 



we were enabled to make a closer inspection of the animals 

 we had slain. The giraffe was a bull at least, eighteen 

 feet in height. His back was torn and gashed by the 

 teeth and claws of the lion, and the beautiful skin was 

 greatly damaged ; but Mr. Barrill, nevertheless, set to 

 work to secure it. The lion was a black-maned individual, 

 of rather forbidding aspect, even as he lay dead upon the 

 ground. I could not lift the heavy paw without expe- 

 riencing a degree of nervousness, which a hunter of my 

 practice should be somewhat ashamed to acknowledge. 

 The skinning operation lasted about half an hour, during 

 which we were somewhat apprehensive of the attack of 

 other lions whose awful voices resounded through the forest. 

 But we were not disturbed, and soon afterwards, we re- 

 turned to camp, to repose upon our laurels. 



The next morning, bright and early, we were abroad 

 in the forest, not hunting, but selecting our game ; for we 

 killed on all sides, with a rapidity of slaughter I had only 

 seen paralleled in the midst of a herd of buffaloes, on the 

 plains of my native land. Several beautiful varieties of ante- 

 lopes that I had not yet beheld, fell before our murderous 

 rifles ; an ostrich was killed not far from the edge of the 

 forest ; the elephant and the rhinoceros were sent crashing 

 through the forest, maddened by severe wounds ; our camp 

 was abundantly supplied with eland and buffalo tongues 

 and on these we lived for a week the happiest week of 



