CHAP. VI.] MISTAKE A LION FOE AN ANTELOPE. 163 



days at Omanbonde walking about, putting my map in 

 order, and strolling with my little rifle to shoot guinea- 

 fowls or francolines. There was very little game about, 

 and I had neither patience nor endurance to run on their 

 spoors till I found them. One day as I was sauntering 

 about in this way, I had rather a fright ; my rifle was 

 loaded with the merest puff of powder and a round 

 ball, when I caught a sudden glimpse of an animal 

 standing on a mound about 200 yards off'. I saw him 

 through the tliick boughs of a bush, dropped to the 

 ground directly, and made a careful stalk. I fancied it 

 was a koodoo, and I hoped that I might secure the 

 animal if I could get very near to him. I crawled for 

 about ten minutes amongst the abominable thorns and 

 never showed myself once until about forty or fifty 

 yards from the mound, and then I poked my rifle very 

 gently between the branches of a thorn-tree, and raised 

 myself up slowly on a level with it. To my bewilder- 

 ment I saw that my game was no koodoo, but a fine black 

 lion with a glorious mane, standing like a statue and 

 looking right at me. His attitude was picturesque, 

 but armed as I was I should much rather have viewed 

 him at a telescopic distance. There was notliing to 

 be done but to put a bold face upon the matter, so I 

 showed myself at once and walked slowly away. I was 

 in an awful fright ; I was sure the animal must be 

 hungry, as there was so Kttle game about. He let me 

 walk some fifty yards without stirring in the slightest. 

 He might have been dagTierreotyped as he stood. Then 

 he made a bound and trotted away, certainly as much 

 astonished at the interview as myself, for unless he was 



