THE LION. 123 



"Being anxious to proclaim his triumph, the Bushman merely cut off the tuft of hair 

 from the tail of the Lion and returned with this trophy to the Dutchman, who was not, how- 

 ever, quite satisfied with the business, for he would have preferred to shoot the Lion himself ; 

 moreover, he grudged the loss of the old ox, which he thought might have been spared to die 

 the usual death of a draught ox, i.e. to work until it drops from fatigue, and to die where it 

 falls. The Bushman, however, explained that, if he had wounded the Lion as it was walking 

 along, it would have sprung upon him as soon as it felt the sharp arrow in its side ; but, when 

 it was busily employed in killing the ox, it would only think that the ox had pricked it with 

 its homs, and would neither see nor think of its human enemy. Therefore it was safer and 

 more certain to take the ox for a bait, and so, to save many a young and vigorous animal by 

 the sacrifice of one old and worn-out beast. 1 ' 



"A Boer, a very humorous fellow, told me that he was returning to his wagons one 

 evening, when he was far in the interior ; at the time, he had with him only the single charge 

 of powder with which his gun was loaded, as he had been out buck-shooting all day. 



' ' Straight in his path he disturbed a Lion, which Jumped up and turned to look at him. 

 Very naturally, his first impulse was to fire, but remembering that he had but that one charge 

 in his gun, he changed his tactics. 



"The Dutchmen usually wear large broad -brimmed felt hats, around which several ostrich 

 feathers are fastened. The Boer jumped from his horse, and pulled off his hat, which he held 

 with his teeth by the brim, so that the upper part only of his face could be seen above the 

 conglomeration of feathers. He then dropped upon his hands and knees, and commenced 

 crawling towards the Lion. Such a strange animal had never before been seen by the aston- 

 ished Leeuw, which turned and fled without a moment' s hesitation. 



"This method of alarming animals is not always successful; for whilst I was on the 

 frontier, a Hottentot, who had been told of a somewhat similar plan to frighten a savage ox, 

 met with a severe accident. 



"The man had been instructed that to stoop down and look back at an animal from 

 between the knees was a certain means of driving it away. So, being pursued by an infuriated 

 ox, he stopped short, and doubled himself up for his peep ; but unfortunately without the 

 desired result. For the animal charged home, ripped up the Totty's leather crackers, wounded 

 him, and sent him sprawling into a bush." 



"An old Dutch Boer, who lived under the shadow of the Draakensberg mountains, gave 

 me the following account of an interview with a Lion. The man was a well-known sportsman, 

 and lived principally by means of the dollars which he realized upon ivory and skins. He was 

 accustomed to make a trip each year into the game country, and traded with the Kaffirs or 

 other inhabitants, under very favorable auspices. His stock-in-trade consisted of his guns 

 and ammunition, several spans of fine oxen, some horses, and about a dozen dogs. 



"A Lion, which appeared to have been roaming about the country, happened to pass near 

 this Boer's location, and scenting the three coursers kept by the Boer, thought that the 

 locality might suit him for a short period. A dense kloof, situated about a mile from the 

 farm, afforded both shelter and water, and this spot the Lion selected as a favorable position 

 for his head -quarters. 



' ' The Boer had not to wait for more than a day, before the suspicions which had been 

 excited in his mind by some broad footmarks which he saw imprinted in the soil, were con- 

 firmed into a certainty that a full-grown Lion had passed near his residence. 



"It now became a question of policy, whether the Boer should attack the Lion, or wait 

 for the Lion to attack him. He thought it quite possible, that Leeuw, having been warned 

 off by the dogs, whose barking had been furious and continued during the night on which the 

 Lion was supposed to have passed the farm, might think discretion to be the better part of 

 valor, and consequently woiild move farther on, in search of a less carefully guarded locality 

 upon which to quarter himself. He determined, therefore, to wait, but to use every precau- 

 tion against a night surprise. 



