198 
THE LION. 
and plunging wildly, is a most awkward steed for the 
best of riders. The lion galloped up; he and I 
were side by side. The lion made his spring, and 
one heavy paw came on the nape of the ox’s neck, 
and rolled him over; the other paw clutched my 
arm, and tore the sleeve of my skirt to ribbons, but 
did not wound me, and there we all three lay. 
Though I was thrown upon my gun, I, nevertheless? 
contrived to wriggle it out of the case, the lion 
snarling and clutching at me all the time. For all 
that, I put both bullets into the beast, which fell, 
rose again and turned round, and then limped, 
bleeding, into a neighbouring thicket. Shaken as I 
was I let him go. There were no dogs to follow 
him, so he was allowed to die in peace; but, after¬ 
wards, his 6 spoor 5 was taken up, and his remains 
found.” 
Again : lions had been unusually numerous and 
daring one particular year in the country about the 
Missionary station at Bichterfeldt, where my friend 
the Rev. Mr. Hahn was then located; so numerous 
were they, indeed, that his waggon-driver, Piet, 
who, like my own follower, Hans, was a mighty 
Nimrod, had, with the aid of his two foster-sons, 
killed upwards of twenty in the course of a few 
months, and many and wonderful were their escapes 
from those beasts. 
One night, the old man was awakened by a pe¬ 
culiar noise outside his door, which was constructed 
so as to shut in two parts. The lower division was 
closed, but the upper was left open on account of 
the oppressive state of the atmosphere. Quietly 
