60 
THE LION. 
fence around this, our sitting place for the evening. 
“ The Hottentots, without any reason, made their 
fire about fifty paces from mine; they, according to 
their usual custom, being satisfied with the shelter of a 
large dense bush. The evening passed away cheer¬ 
fully. Soon after it was dark we heard elephants 
breaking the trees in the forest across the river; 
and once or twice I strode away into the dark¬ 
ness some distance from the fireside, to stand and 
listen to them. I little, at that moment, imagined 
the imminent peril to which I was exposing my 
life, or thought that a blood thirsty c man-eater 5 
lion was couching near, and only watching his 
opportunity to consign one of us to a most 
horrible death. About three hours after the sun 
went down, I called my men to come and take 
their coffee and supper, which was ready for them 
at my fire, and after supper three of them re¬ 
turned before their comrades to their own fireside 
and lay down : these were John Stofolus, Hendrich, 
and Huyter. In a few minutes an ox came out 
by the gate of the ‘kraal’ and walked round the 
back of it, Hendrich got up and drove him in 
again, and then went back to his fireside and lay 
down. Hendrich and Huyter lay on one side of 
the fire under one blanket, and John Stofolus lay 
on the other. At this moment I was sitting taking 
some barley-broth, our fire was very small, and 
the night pitchy dark and windy. Owing to our 
proximity to the village the wood was very scarce, 
the Bakalahari having burnt it all in their fires. 
“ Suddenly the appalling and murderous voice 
