52 
THE LION. 
tance. After the cattle had been quieted again, and 
I had looked over everything, I missed the sentry 
before the tent. We called as loudly as possible, 
but in vain, nobody answered, from which I con¬ 
cluded, he was carried off. Three or four men then 
advanced very cautiously to the bush, which stood 
right opposite the door of the tent, to see if they 
could discover anything of the man; but retired 
helter-skelter, for the lion, who was still there, 
rose up and began to roar. 
“ About a hundred shots were again fired at the 
bush, without our perceiving anything of the beast. 
This induced one of the men again to approach it with 
a firebrand in his hand, but as soon as he neared 
the bush, the lion roared terribly, and leaped at 
him, on which he threw the firebrand at the animal, 
and the other people having fired about ten shots 
at him, he returned immediately to his former 
station. 
“ The firebrand which the man had thrown at the 
lion had fallen in the midst of the bush, and favoured 
by the wind, it began to burn with a great flame, 
so that we could see very clearly into it, and through 
it. We continued our firing into it. The night 
passed away, and the day began to break, which 
animated everyone to fire at the lion, because 
he could not be there without exposing himself 
entirely. Seven men posted at the farthest waggons 
watched to take him as he came out. At last, before 
it became quite light, he walked up the hill with the 
man in his mouth, when about forty shots were fired 
without hitting him. He persevered in retaining 
