AFRICA. 229 
keep back the laft yoke, flopped the carriage 
at the very moment that it was about to de- 
fcend, and juft ready to roll over my unfor- 
tunate favourite. I dragged him from below 
the oxen; and it is impoflible for me to ex- 
preCi the joy I felt, when, having placed him 
on his legs again, and interrogated him refpeft- 
ing his fall, he informed me that he had 
received no material injury. He had however 
fuffered fome contufions from the oxen ; but 
ihefe animals, though hurried down the de- 
fcent, had, from an indind of which I admired 
the fagacity, fpared him as much as circum- 
ftances would allow: and indeed it is almoft 
incredible that fo many feet fliould have paffed 
over him without cruihing him to death. 
Having landed on the right bank of the 
Koignas, I diredted my route, according to the 
information I had received from the widow 
Van-Zeil, towards the Vie ermtiys -Klip (rock 
hi bats). As I advanced, I obferved the track 
of a lion quite frefh. This difcovery, which 
fince my departure fr^m the Cape was the firft 
of the kind, warned me to be upon my guard 
in our encampment during the night. The 
animal had been lurking among the bufhes 
0^3 
