XVII 
CAMPING AT EL BOGOI 
395 
moaning in its death struggles ; but there was now no other 
sound. Then, just as I had managed to get my gun in order 
and was going to the gate of the kraal—having motioned 
Maftaha to follow me—with the intention of trying to loose off 
at our enemy, the fool let drive at random into the bush from 
behind a bank of weeds—fancying, I suppose, he was safe there 
because he could see nothing—scaring the lions (he declared 
there were two), and our chance of immediate revenge was lost. 
The dead donkey (a small one) was merely killed by bites 
in the throat and back of the neck, but not touched otherwise, 
except for scratches in the struggle. Had it not been for my 
maimed hand I could hardly have failed to shoot a lion in the 
kraal, for it was bright moonlight and the dead donkey was 
plainly visible from opposite the gate. We kept watch all 
night, but the-enemy returned not. Three donkeys came back 
into camp during the night, and were secured and tied to trees 
among the huts. There happened to have been two Ndorobos 
sleeping in camp, so in the morning I sent one of these with 
the donkey-herd to try to follow up the spoor of the frightened 
pack-animals, while the other went to Lesiat’s to get more help. 
A few volunteers soon turned up, all wishing to assist in the 
search for the lost asses. One was found close by, slashed, but 
only skin deep, with claw-marks, and three more, unhurt, were 
found during the day; yet another trio came home by them¬ 
selves about sundown, but there was no news of the rest. 
In the meantime it had been necessary to keep the few 
men I had here hard at work making a new “ boma ” close to the 
goods shed ; the other had been too weak, and in the shadow 
of trees, with scrub right up to the back of it. The camp was, 
indeed, most villainously situated in this respect, surrounded by 
thick cover, favouring the approach of predatory beasts ; but 
this was unavoidable here, the whole country being one con¬ 
tinuous jungle, and as nothing had ever happened before— 
though the donkeys had been here for months in charge of only 
two or three men,—no special precautions had been taken this 
