592 WILD SCENES AND WILD HUNTERS. 
barely time to turn the gun and fire between the men and the 
lion, and providentially the ball struck the ground imme- 
diately under his head, as we found by examination the 
following morning. From this surprise he returned, growling 
dreadfully. The men darted through some thorn-bushes 
with countenances indicative of the utmost terror. It was 
now the opinion of all that we had better let him alone if 
he did not molest us. 
Having but a scanty supply of wood to keep up a fire, one 
man crept among the bushes on one side of the pool, while I 
proceeded for the same purpose on the other side. I had not 
gone far, when, looking upward to the edge of the small basin, 
I discerned between me and the sky four animals, whose 
attention appeared to be directed to me, by the noise I made 
in breaking a dry stick. On closer inspection, I found that 
the large, round, hairy-headed visiters were lions; and 
retreated on my hands and feet towards the other side of 
the pool, when coming to my wagon-driver, to inform him 
of our danger, I found him looking, with no little alarm, in 
an opposite direction, and with good reason, as no fewer than 
two lions, with a cub,»were eyeing us both, apparently as 
uncertain about us as we were distrustful of them. They 
appeared, as they always do in the dark, twice the usual size. 
We thankfully decamped to the wagon, and sat down to keep 
alive our scanty fire, while we listened to the lion tearing and 
devouring his prey. When any of the other hungry lions 
dared to approach, he would pursue them for some paces, 
with a horrible howl, which made our poor oxen tremble, and 
produced any thing but agreeable sensations in ourselves. 
We had reason for alarm, lest any of the six lions we saw, 
fearless of our small fire, might rush in among us. The two 
Barolongs were grudging the lion his fat meal, and would 
now and then break the silence with a deep sigh, and expres- 
sions of regret that such a vagabond lion should have such a 
feast on their cow, which they anticipated would have afforded 
