32 MATABELE LAND. 



heard the loud cries of an ox in distress, and ex- 

 claiming to Hendrik that I thought a lion must be 

 the cause, locked up my medicine chest, from which 

 I was taking medicine for Hendrik, and seized my 

 gun. Hendrik followed me, and we both ran to the 

 river. As we peered over the bank, there we saw 

 the ox, the largest and fattest in my span, lying in 

 the grass at the bottom of the bank with a lion 

 tearing him. He was only a few yards below me, 

 and before I could distinguish the lion properly, as 

 it lay upon its prostrate form, the brute leapt off 

 the ox and retreated across the river. I fired as he 

 ran and hit him hard, for he rolled over, and I ought 

 to have given him the second barrel at once, but 

 thinking him mortally wounded, I hesitated a 

 moment, and in the next he had disappeared in the 

 dry reeds. I did not like to follow him at once, and 

 Hendrik would not accompany me, but tried to dis- 

 suade me from following him at all. However, in 

 about half an hour I went in search of the brute, 

 but never found it and do not know what became 

 of it. 1 



" I have yet been brought very little into contact 

 with wild beasts and have had few stirring incidents, 

 but I have been pretty fully employed one way or 

 another and continue to persevere in my journey. 

 I found on reaching here that it was too late to go 



1 The body of the dead lion was found soon afterwards by some 

 natives — for the shot had proved fatal— and the skin taken by them 

 to the Tati settlement. The ox had sustained so severe an injury that 

 he had to be shot the following morning. 



