SEARCH FOR THE MAN-EATER LION. 179 



started with Piet and Ruyter as my after-riders. It 

 was a very cool day. "We crossed tbe river, and at 

 once took up the fresh spoor of a troop of bull elephants. 

 These bulls unfortunately joined a troop of cows, and 

 when we came on them the dogs attacked the cows, 

 and the bulls were off in a moment, before we could 

 even see them. One remarkably fine old cow charged 

 the dogs. I hunted this cow, and finished her with two 

 shots from the saddle. Being anxious to return to my 

 Deople before night, I did not attempt to follow the troop. 

 IVIy followers were not a little gratified to see me re- 

 turning, for terror had taken hold of their minds, and 

 they expected that the lion would return, and, embold- 

 ened by the success of the preceding night, would prove 

 still more daring in his attack. The lion would most 

 certainly have returned, but fate had otherwise ordain- 

 ed. My health had been better in the last three days : 

 my fever was leaving me, but I was, of course, still 

 very weak. It would still be two hours before the sun 

 would set, and, feeling refreshed by a little rest, and 

 able for further work, I ordered the steeds to be sad- 

 dled, and went in search of the lion. 



I took John and Carey as after-riders, armed, and a 

 party of the natives followed up the spoor and led the 

 dogs. The lion had dragged the remains of poor Hen- 

 dric along a native foot-path that led up the river side. 

 We found fragments of his coat all along the spoor, and 

 at last the mangled coat itself About six hundred 

 yards from our camp a dry river^s course joined the 

 Limpopo. At this spot was much shade, cover, and 

 heaps of dry reeds and trees deposited by the Limpopo 

 in some great flood. The lion had left the foot-path 

 and entered this secluded spot. I at once felt con- 

 vinced that we were upon him; and ordered the natives 



