206 
LION. 
a huge lion couching in the midst of the pool. 
Terrified at the unexpected sight of such a beast, 
that seemed to have its eyes fixed upon him, he in- 
stantly took to his heels, leaving the cattle to shift 
for themselves. In doing this he had presence of 
mind enough to run through the herd, concluding 
that, if the lion should pursue, he might take up 
with the first beast that presented itself. In this, 
however, he was mistaken : the lion broke through 
the herd, making directly after the Hottentot ; who, 
on turning round, and perceiving that the monster 
had singled him out for a meal, breathless and half 
dead with terror, scrambled up one of the tree 
aloes, in the trunk of which had luckily been cut 
out a few steps, the more readily to come at some 
birds’ nests that the branches contained. At the 
same moment the lion made a spring at him, but, 
missing his aim, fell upon the ground. In surly 
silence he walked round the tree, casting every 
now and then a dreadful look towards the poor 
Hottentot, who had crept behind some finches’ 
nests * that happened to have been built in the 
tree. 
“ It was on one of these edifices that the Hottentot 
screened himself from the sight of the lion. Having 
remained silent and motionless for a length of time, 
* Sometimes one of these clumps of nests will extend a space 
of ten feet in diameter, and contain a population of several hun- 
dred individuals. Each nest is separate from the other, although 
they are all under one common covering. The bird is a species of 
the genus loxia. See pi. 15. 
