RAVAGES OF UONS. 3 



they thought might portend something as bad, or it might 

 only foreshadow the death of some great chief. On the 

 subject of comets I knew little more than they did them- 

 selves, but I had that confidence in a kind over-ruhng 

 Providence which makes such a difference between Chris- 

 tians and both the ancient and modern heathen. 



As some of the Bamangwato people had accompanied 

 me to Kuruman, I was obliged to restore them and their 

 goods to their chief Sekdmi. This made a journey to the 

 residence of that chief again necessary, and, for the first 

 time, I performed a distance of some hundred miles on 

 ox-back. 



Returning towards Kuruman, I selected the beautiful 

 valley of Mabotsa (lat. 25 ° 14' south, long. 26 30' ?) as 

 the site of a missionary station ; and thither I removed 

 in 1843. Here an occurrence took place concerning which 

 I have frequently been questioned in England, and which 

 but for the importunities of friends, I meant to have kept 

 in store to tell my children when in my dotage. The 

 Bakatla of the village Mabotsa were much troubled by 

 lions, which leaped into the cattle-pens by night, and 

 destroyed their cows. They even attacked the herds in 

 open day. This was so unusual an occurrence that the 

 people believed that they were bewitched — " given," 

 as they said, ' ' into the power of the lions by a neighbour- 

 ing tribe." They went once to attack the animals, but, 

 being rather a cowardly people compared to Bechuanas 

 in general on such occasions, they returned without killing 

 any. 



It is well known that if one in a troop of lions is killed 

 the others take the hint and leave that part of the country. 

 So the next time the herds were attacked, I went with the 

 people, in order to encourage them to rid themselves of 

 the annoyance by destroying one of the marauders. We 

 found the lions on a small hill about a quarter of a mile 

 in length, and covered with trees. A circle of men was 

 formed round it, and they gradually closed up, ascending 

 pretty near to each other. Being down below on the plain 

 with a native schoolmaster, named Mebalwe, a most 

 excellent man, I saw one of the lions sitting on a piece of 

 rock within the now closed circle of men. Mebalwe fired 

 at him before I could, and the ball struck the rock on 

 which the animal was sitting. He bit at the spot struck, 

 as a dog does at a stick or stone thrown at him ; then 



