14 
RAVAGES OP LIONS. 
tho importunities of friends, I meant to have kept in store 
to tell my children when in my dotage. Tho Bakatla of 
tho village Mabotsa were much troubled by lions, which 
leaped into tho cattle-pens by night and destroyed their 
cows. Thoy even attacked tho herds in open day. This 
was so unusual an occurrence that tho pcoplo believed that 
thoy wore bewitched, — “given,” as they said, “into the 
power of the lions .by a neighboring tribe.” They wont 
once to attack tho animals; but, being rather a cowardly 
people compared to Bcchuanas in general on such occasions, 
they returned without killing any. 
It is well known that if one of a troop of lions is killed, 
tho others tako tho hint and leave that part of the country. 
So, tho next time tho herds were attacked, T went with tho 
people, in order to oncourago them to rid themselves of tho 
annoyance by destroying one of the marauders. We found 
tho lions on a small hill about a quarter of a mile in length 
and covered with trees. A circle of men was formed round 
it, and they gradually closed up, ascending pretty near to 
each other. Being down below on the plain with a native 
schoolmaster, named Mebalwe, a most excellent man, I saw 
ono of the lions sitting on a piece of rock within the now 
closed circle of men. Mebalwe fired at him beforo I could, 
and the ball struck the rock on which the animal was 
sitting. Ho bit at tho spot struck, as a dog does at a stick 
or stono thrown at him, then, leaping away, broke through 
tho opening circle and escaped unhurt. Tho men wore 
afraid to attack him, perhaps on account of their belief in 
witchcraft. When the circlo was reformed, wo saw two 
other lions in it; but wo wero afraid to fire, lest wo should 
strike tho men, and they allowed the beasts to burst through 
also. If tho Bakatla had acted according to tho custom 
of tho country, they would have speared tho lions in t licit 
attempt to got out. Seoing wo could not get them to kill 
ono of the lions, wo bent our footsteps toward tho village: 
in going round tho end of the hill, however, I saw one of 
the beasts sitting on a piece of rock as before, but this tim® 
