86 MUNGO PARK'S 
We reached Koeena about three o'clock, all very much 
fatigued. I felt myself very sickly, having lifted up and 
reloaded a great many asses on the road. The village of 
Koeena is walled round, and it is surrounded on three 
sides with rocky precipices. Had a severe tornado at 
seven o'clock, which put out the watch-fire and made us 
all crowd into the tents. When the violence of the squall 
was over, we heard a particular sort of roaring or growling, 
not unlike the noise of a wild boar ; there seemed to be 
more than one of them, and they went all round our cattle. 
Fired two inuskets to make them keep at a distance ; but 
as they still kept prowling round us, we collected a bunch 
of withered grass, and went with Lieutenant Martyn in 
search of the animals, suspecting them to be wild boars. 
We got near one of them, and fired several shots into the 
bush, and one at him as he went oflf among the long grass. 
When we returned to the tents, I learned by enquiring of 
the natives that the animals we had been in search of were 
not boars, but young lions ; and they assured me that un- 
less we kept a very good look out they would probably 
kill some of our cattle during the night. About midnight 
these young lions attempted to seize one of the asses, 
which so much alarmed the rest that they broke their 
ropes, and came at full gallop in amongst the tent ropes. 
Two of the lions followed them, and came so close to us 
