AFRICA. 355 
that It always appeared to me more and more 
difficult to difcover them^ and to get near 
them. As night was in the mean time ad- 
vancing, and as I did not fee thofe hunters 
arrive whom I had fent out to make difco- 
veries, I ordered my largeft piece to be fired 
three times ; yet it was nearly half an hour be- 
fore they returned any anfwer. At length, 
however, we heard, four or five minutes after 
each other, three reports, which made us con- 
clude that they had perhaps fallen in with 
fome of thefe animals. A quarter of an hour 
after, we heard three reports more ; but the 
found did not feem to proceed from fo great 
a diftance as the former ; at length the firing 
continued at certain intervals, and feemed 
more and more to approach us w hich induced 
us to believe that thefe unfortunate people 
were purfued by fome ferocious animals. On 
this account, 1 ran immediately to meet them ; 
and, when I found them, they appeared to be 
trembling and in great terror. They had, 
however, feen nothing ; but, by the refl:leflj[iefs 
of the two dogs which they had carried with 
them, it was too clear that their lives had been 
in danger from lions, and that they had nar- 
rowly efcaped. The dogs indeed had not 
A a 2 deceived- 
