FIRST JOURNEY. 33 
in the night, every preparation was made for defence ; but -^^JJ^-I^^^ 
next morning we were informed of its having been at a houfe 
belonging to an old woman, about four miles diftant, and that 
it had deftroyed fome of her cattle. I went to the place, and 
we fet a fpring gun in the path where we obferved it had 
palTed : on the night of the twenty-fifth we heard the report 
of the gun, and next morning found the animal dead. It 
proved to be a lionel^, and not very large ; the dimenfions 
were, 
Feet. Inches. 
The length, from the nofe to the point of the tail, 8 91 
Ditto, of the head, - - - - 1 iik 
Ditto, of the tail, - - « • « ^ 
Ditto, from the neck to the tall, - - 411! 
Height before, - - - - 3 B 
Length of the foot from the claw to the heel, 8 
Ditto, of the claw ftretched out, - - - 3^ 
Length of the ears, - • « • 
Of the tulks, - - « - 2 
Dillance between the eyes, - - - 6 
Circumference of the head between the eyes and ears, 2 4^ 
On the third of December, I made an excurfion to one of 
the moft agreeable places, in point of fituation and fertility, 
that I had yet feen in Africa. It is fituate at the fource of 
the Elephants River ; it produces plenty of corn >vith the 
leaft cultivation imaginable. After the river has overflowed 
the banks, the natives fow the grain ; and the cUmate is fo 
favourable, that it is always ripe here a month fooner than at 
