HUNT FOR A TROOP OP LIONS. 93 



was soon blazing cheerfully. I continued to watch the 

 water from my deadly lair, both by day and night, till 

 the 1st of September, enjoying extraordinary sport, and 

 securing uncommonly fine specimens of the heads of all 

 the varieties of game frequenting the district. 



On the 1st of September, about 12 o'clock, MoUyee 

 came and told me that my cattle-herd had come upon 

 four wildebeests killed by a troop of lions. I immedi- 

 ately sent for the steeds and rode to the spot, with 

 Martin and the Bushman as after-riders, and accom- 

 panied by all my dogs. On reaching the ground, the 

 dogs immediately took up scent, and went beating up 

 the wind. I rode after, hunting them on, and presently 

 I missed Boxer and Alert. Wolf now beat up a scent 

 to windward, on which he afterward went off at full 

 speed, and was soon heard at bay with a lion. Just as 

 Wolf started I heard a dog bark to leeward, and, riding 

 hard in that line, I found Lassie barking at a large 

 bush, in which the lions had taken shelter, but were 

 gone. I was followed by poor cripple Argyll, who 

 went boldly in and took up the scent. I lost sight of 

 Argyll in the bushes. I then turned my face as Wolf 

 had gone, and rode hard to seek him; at length he 

 came up to me, quite exhausted with his exertions. 



I rode back to seek Boxer, Alert, and Argyll. On 

 coming to the place where Argyll had gone off, I found 

 lions' spoor, and the spoor of the dogs on the top of it. 

 4.fter holding this spoor for a few hundred yards, I met 

 my dogs, who, returning, led me to the game I sought 

 — it was a noble lioness. As I approached I first be- 

 held her great, round face and black-tipped ears peep- 

 ing over the low bushes. On riding up she obstinately 

 kept her full front to me, although the dogs were bark- 

 ing close around her : at length she exposed a raking 



