Life at Ribe. 
157 
the dog yelped twice ; then there was a rush, and all 
was quiet. I ran to the door ; the dog was gone. 
The leopard had probably been watching us for some 
time, being kept at bay by my presence. My depar- 
ture was his opportunity; then in a moment he sprang 
at, seized, and bore ofif his prey. 
The lion is a rarer visitor, but he too makes him- 
self heard at times, and now and then with really 
alarming proximity. One night a pair of these 
animals made their way to the station, and remained 
with us for some minutes, parading up and down 
before the mission-house. We became aware of their 
presence by a growHng that shook the settlement to 
its foundations, and startled our little community as if 
a thunderbolt had fallen into our midst. As the night 
was pitchy dark we could not get a good view of them ; 
nothing but the most shadowy outlines could be made 
out of their forms. A mother and daughter occupy- 
ing a hut at the bottom of the mission premises, 
afraid of being attacked in their frail wigwam, rushed 
terror-stricken to us, and begged to be allowed to ^ 
take refuge with us. On their way up they passed 
within a few yards of the spot w^here the animals 
must have been standing, of course unaware of their 
danger, the growling having for the time ceased. 
Nothing is more deceptive than the growling of the 
lion ; it often sounds at a less and sometimes a 
greater distance than that from whence it really 
comes. 
In the absence of guns, which are never in trim 
when they are needed, a revolver was blown off for 
the purpose of scaring away the disturbers of our 
peace. As far as any damage that could have been 
« 
