THE REGION SOUTH OF THE ZAMBESI. 243 
for men and animals for several days, lie liad set lip 
his primitive camp near two mimosa trees, close to the 
right bank of the Gogwe. He wanted to see how it 
felt to sit alone by a fire in a howling—and, I may 
well add, roaring—wilderness. The first thing he did, 
in order to provide himself with a harbour of refuge 
in the last extremity, was to remove the thorns from 
one of the mimosa trees with a small axe for a height 
of twenty or tw T enty-five feet from the ground, so that 
he could easily climb into it. He soon enough had 
occasion to recognise the wisdom of this precaution, 
and had no reason to grudge the time and labour spent 
upon it. At midnight on the 19th of July, wdren 
everything around was hushed and the crackling of 
his fire alone broke the stillness, he lay down to rest, 
his double-barrelled gun beside him, his cartridges 
under his pillow. He slept peacefully and undisturbed 
all night, and wdien he awoke the sun was on the 
horizon and the fire burnt out. Then he suddenly 
heard the howling of a jackal close by, and climbing 
into his tree to reconnoitre the situation, he saw a 
lioness pass from the left bank of the Gogwe right 
through the stream, and land on the very spot he had 
just left. The lioness, scenting prey, stopped and 
crouched down like a cat ready to spring, but per¬ 
ceiving nothing, went back a few steps, as if frightened. 
All this time Htibner w T as seated in his tree unarmed, 
a witness of the way the poor beast was cheated of the 
breakfast of which he himself very nearly supplied the 
materials. Presently, however, a horrible roaring was 
heard from several points at once, and three lions and 
another lioness appeared on the scene, wdio were shortly 
joined by two more lions, making no less than seven 
in all. If only my friend had had his gun and 
ammunition with him, what royal sport he might have 
enjoyed ! 
The animals remained about half an hour, playing 
together much like cats, and rubbing their furs, wet 
with the night dews, dry upon the grass. Only every 
now and then the first lioness, who was rather lean, 
E 2 
