3 i 8 
WILD BEASTS AND THEIR WA YS 
CHAP. 
river Royan a few days after the incident. At that 
dry season of the year the Royan was devoid of 
water, except at certain bends where the current had 
scooped out a deep hole beneath the bank. Johann 
Schmidt was a poor man, who could not afford the 
luxury of first-rate rifles ; he therefore did his best 
with most inferior arms, one of which was a light 
double-barrelled smooth-bore muzzle-loader No. i6. 
This was a French gun, for which he had given 50 
francs at Cairo. By some chance, this common little 
weapon shot remarkably well with ball and 3 drams 
of powder. It became his favourite companion. He 
was strolling one day along the bank of the Royan 
in Abyssinia, looking carefully down its sandy bed, 
when he came near to a water-hole in the long 
intervals, and he suddenly heard the peculiar sounds 
of a great encounter. The dust was flying high in 
the air, and as he approached the spot, within the 
yellow surface of the river’s bed, he saw a cloud 
of sand, in the centre of which was the large body 
and long neck of a bull giraffe struggling against 
the attack of two lions. One of these was fastened 
upon its throat, while the other was mounted upon 
its hind-quarters, where it was holding on with 
teeth and claws. Johann concealed himself behind 
a large tree which grew upon the bank : this abrupt 
margin was about 20 feet above the river’s bed, and 
not 50 yards from the scene of a hopeless conflict. 
The giraffe had no chance ; and after a sharp 
struggle before the eyes of the well - concealed 
spectator, it was pulled down, and both lions com- 
