266 "WE ENTER THE BUSHMAN TRACT. [chap. ix. 



plunging wildly is a most awkward hack for the best 

 of jockeys. The lion galloped up. He and Hans 

 were side by side. The lion made his spring, and one 

 heavy paw came on the nape of the ox's neck, and 

 rolled him over ; the other clutched at Hans' arm, and 

 tore the sleeve of his shirt to ribbons, but did not 

 wound him, and there they aU three lay. Hans, 

 though he was thrown upon his gun, contrived to 

 wiiggle it out, the Hon snarling and clutching at him 

 all the time ; but for aU that, he put both bullets into 

 the beast's body, who dropped, then turned round, and 

 limped bleeding away into the recesses of a broad 

 thick cover ; and of course Hans, shaken as he was, let 

 him go. There were no dogs to follow him, so he was 

 allowed to die in peace ; and subsequently his spoor 

 was taken up, and his remains found. 



Probably many more people are killed by lions than 

 one hears of, for the most frequent victims are paupers 

 who scatter themselves about the country, squatting on 

 the ground and crowing pignuts; they become so 

 absorbed in their occupation that a lion could easily 

 crouch behind and spring upon them. Numbers of 

 people are reported to be missing in Damara-land, but 

 no one cares to search out their fate. I made a list once 

 of the people I had met with who had been wounded by 

 lions, but I have lost it. It was a very long one. The 

 wounds were always bad ones to heal. They frequently 

 became almost well, and then broke out afresh. 



2Qtli. — ^We were now fairly en route, and had entered 

 the Bushman country ; we travelled along the brow of 

 a long ridge that rose insensibly to perhaps 1000 feet 



