158 
THE LION. 
was critical in the extreme. Straining eyes and ears 
to discover the beast’s whereabout, I held my breath 
in fearful suspense, whilst every nerve was strung 
to the highest pitch. Presently I heard, to my 
astonishment, the report of a gun within fifty paces 
of my hiding-place ; then a second and a third shot. 
This made matters worse; for I now became appre¬ 
hensive that the men, not aware of my presence, 
might direct their fire towards me. I therefore 
sprang to my feet, and vociferated— £6 Who’s there ?” 
“ Sir ! the lion—the lion !” replied Eyebrecht, the 
interpreter, for it was no other. The next instant 
he stood trembling before me. He had it appears 
been sent by the chief Amral to call me back (he 
entertaining great apprehensions for my personal 
safety, several of his people having recently been 
either killed or cruelly mangled by lions, then un¬ 
usually numerous in the country, when on the watch 
in the night time for game)-—-but had encountered 
the beast in his path, and fired in order to frighten 
him away. 
Early next morning a number of Hottentots came 
to examine the ground, when, as I had expected, 
we found the foot-prints of a lion at the very back 
of my e6 screen,” and scarcely distant the length of 
the gun-barrel from where my own person had been, 
where he had evidently been crouching previously 
to leaping on the pallah (whose cry I had heard in 
the night) ; but which, though wounded, had effected 
its escape. How far the beast intended me mischief 
is hard to say, but in any case my situation had not 
been an enviable one. 
