100 ADVENTUKBS IN SOUTH AFRICA. 



boy to convert himself into a stone, and knowing, from 

 old spoor, exactly where they would drink, I cooked my 

 left barrel, and placed myself and gun in position. Tho 

 six lions came steadily on along the stony ridge until 

 within sixty yards of me, when they halted for a min- 

 ute to reconnoiter. One of them stretched out his mas- 

 sive arms on the rock and lay down : the others then 

 came on, and he rose and brought up the rear. They 

 walked, as I had anticipated, to the old drinking-place, 

 and three of them had put down their heads and were 

 lapping the water loudly, when Kleinboy thought it 

 necessary to shove up his ugly head. I turned my 

 head slowly to rebuke him, and, again turning to the 

 lions, found myself discovered. 



An old lioness, who seemed to take the lead, had de- 

 tected me, and, with her head high and her eyes fixed 

 full upon me, was coming slowly round the corner of 

 the little vley to cultivate further my acquaintance ! 

 This unfortunate coincidence put a stop at once to all 

 further contemplation. I thought, in my haste, that it 

 was perhaps most prudent to shoot this lioness, espe- 

 cially as none of the others had noticed me. I accord- 

 ingly moved my arm and covered her : she saw me 

 move and halted, exposing a full broadside. I fired; 

 the ball entered one shoulder and passed ^ut behind the 

 other. She bounded forward with repeated growls, and 

 was followed by her five comrades, all enveloped in a 

 cloud of dust ; nor did they stop until they had reached 

 the cover behind me, except one old gentleman, who 

 halted and looked back for a few seconds, when I fired, 

 but the ball went high. I listened anxiously for some 

 sound to denote the approaching end of the lioness, nor 

 listened in vain. I heard her growling and stationary, 

 as if dying. In one minute her comrades crossed the 



