90 VARIETIES OF LEOPARDS AND WEIGHT OF LIONS, 



wie's statements on the subject, I doubt that I should 

 have touched upon the matter, as there is unquestion- 

 ably a tendency among Indian sportsmen to place 

 the tiger in a superior position to the " king of 

 beasts/' not only in courage, ferocity, power, but also 

 in size, and controversy, even on paper, is not to my 

 taste. 



The lion killed at Kopje Alleen I have heard a 

 hunter speak of as a very fine animal ; the existence 

 of larger I have been informed of by traders, but the 

 largest that I have any confirmatory evidence to 

 corroborate the asserted weight, was shot about the 

 date that the engagement between the British and 

 Boers was fought, that is known by the name of 

 " the Battle of Boom Platje." Sixteen years ago I 

 trecked over Van Renan's pass in the Drakenberg. 

 When half of our journey was accomplished we 

 found the cutting in a fearful state from the effect of 

 a very severe thunderstorm. Thus the oxen had a 

 herculean task to reach the crest of the mountain. 

 Next day but one I made two short trecks and found 

 myself under the Organ " Copje," a wonderful and 

 grandly-picturesque detached giant, covered to the 

 south and west with wood, but destitute of timber to 

 the east, as its face in that direction was a perpen- 

 dicular precipice that appeared utterly unclimbable 

 to animal life. Within easy ride flowed the Vilgee 

 river, on whose banks stood a comfortable home- 

 stead. The proprietor, whose name was Smidt, 

 was most hospitable, so I remained with him that 

 night. He had another guest, a Scottish school- 

 master, who had resided many years among the 

 Dutch. This pedagogue was well informed and 

 very communicative, so in the course of the evening 

 he informed me of a mature male lion that had been 

 killed by a Hottentot near my oiitspan^ that weighed 

 six hundred and sixty-two pounds (English), after 

 being transported to Harry Smith — a village in 



