96 ADVENTURES IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



barrel of my Westley Richards, and with breathless at- 

 tention kept the strictest watch in front, expecting 

 every moment to see the mighty and terrible king of 

 beasts approaching • but he was too cunning. He saw 

 all the other game tight shy of the water, so he made a 

 circuit to leeward to get the wind off the fountain. 

 Soon after he roared I heard a num-ber of jackals both- 

 ering him, as if telling him to come across the vley to 

 the wildebeest : he growled from side to side, as if play 

 ing with them, and after this all was still. 



I had listened with intense anxiety for about fifteen 

 minutes longer, when I he^rd the hysenas and jackals 

 give way on either side behind me from the carcass of 

 the wildebeest, and, turning my head slowly round, be- 

 held a huge and majestic lion, with a black mane which 

 nearly swept the ground, standing over the carcass. 

 He seemed aware of my proximity, and, lowering his 

 head, at once laid hold of the wildebeest and dragged 

 it some distance up the hill. He then halted to take 

 breath, but did not expose a broadside, and in a quar- 

 ter of a minute he again laid hold of the wildebeest and 

 dragged it about twelve yards further toward the cover, 

 when he again raised his noble head and halted to take 

 breath. 



I had not an instant to lose ; he stood with his right 

 side exposed to me in a very slanting position ; I stretch- 

 ed my left arm across the grass, and, taking him rath- 

 er low, fired : the ball took effect, and the lion sank to 

 the shot. All was still as death for many seconds, 

 when he uttered a deep growl, and, slowly gaining his 

 feet, limped toward the cover, roaring mournfully as 

 he went. When he got into the thorny bushes he 

 stumbled through them as he moved along, and in half 

 a minute I heard him halt and growl fearfully, as if 



