A Breath from the Veldt 263 



which gave him a longer run ; he chased him completely round the camp, and 

 then the sound of the rushing animals was heard no more. 



It may seem to the reader an extraordinary thing that a lion could thus 

 come right up to a hunter's camp, and quietly kill three of his donkeys without 

 offering a chance for his own destruction, and some perhaps may think we 

 missed a fine opportunity for performing one of those wonderful feats that dis- 

 tinguish the sportsman of the modern novelist ; but as a matter of fact we could 

 never see anything to shoot at, and to shoot without seeing would have been too 

 silly for words. Though the lion was almost within touch, he was as safe as if 

 he had been a mile away. When it was all over we could only sit down, 

 anathematise the lying natives, and blame ourselves for our carelessness in not 

 having made a " scherm." 



Soon after daybreak next morning we went to look at the carcases, the 

 first of which was lying about forty yards away in the mealie patch. It was 

 untouched ; so we proceeded to search for the other donkey which had also 

 broken loose. We soon found this also, or rather what remained of it, for the 

 lion had evidently been desperately hungry and finished the animal at one meal, 

 only the head, shank bones, and feet being left. Van Staden had not the 

 slightest doubt that the lion had heard us coming, and made off as we 

 approached, for there was his spoor as he galloped away from the kill. With 

 the aid of Clas we followed it as far as we could, but lost it at last in the rocks 

 at the foot of the hills. 



A close examination of the donkey killed on the disselboom left no doubt 

 that the lion had rushed up to his victim from the front, and fixed his right 

 paw in its left shoulder, at the same time forcing the animal's head down with 

 his left paw on the right cheek and biting where the vertebras join the head, 

 thus dislocating the neck and causing instantaneous death. 



The loss of these donkeys (amongst which, of course, were the two best) 

 was most disheartening, as it frustrated all our plans. The team, as it was, 

 could ill draw its heavy load, and now that these two animals were gone, it 

 seemed doubtful whether we should ever get the waggon over the mountains, or 

 back to the Nuanetsi. 



As the morning advanced came more worry. Van Staden was still very ill, 

 and his condition caused me great anxiety ; and now the natives, to whom our 

 misfortunes had been revealed by Clas, came down in force and openly jeered at 

 us. They said, in so many words, that if the white man or his guns were of 

 any -use we should never have allowed a lion to come up and take the donkeys 



