FIRST JOURNEY. 
33 
in the night, every preparation was made for defence ; but 
next morning we were informed of its having been at a houfe ^— 
belonging to an old woman, about four miles diftant, and that 
it had deftroyed fome of her cattle. I went to the place, and 
we fet a fpring gun in the path where we obferved it had 
paffed : on the night of the twenty-fifth we heard the report 
of the gun, and next morning found the animal dead. It 
proved to be a lionefs, and not very large ; the dimenfions 
were, 
Feet. Inches. 
The length, from the nofe to the point of the tail, 8 pf 
Ditto, of the head, « - - » iiif 
Ditto, of the tail, - - ^ - 3 
Ditto, from the neck to the tail, - - 4 11 f 
Height before, - - " ” 3 8 
Length of the foot from the claw to the heel, 8 
Ditto, of the claw ftretched out, - » - 31 
Length of the ears, - « - - yx 
Of the tufks, - « * 2 
Diftance between the eyes, » - „ 6 
Circumference of the head between the eyes and ears, 2 41 
On the third of December, I made an excurlion to one of 
the moft agreeable places, in point of fttuation and fertility, 
tliat I had yet feen in Africa, It is fttuate at the fource of 
the Elephants River ; it produces plenty of corn with the 
leaft cultivation imaginable. After the river has overflowed 
the banks, the natives fow the grain ; and the climate is fo 
favourable, that it is always ripe here a month fooner than at 
F 
