A FALSE ALARM 
367 
sweep, got mixed up in one intricate bundle of horns, heads, 
yokes, etc., which took some righting when the scare was over. 
Where was the lion ? Franz bawled out in answer, ‘ Daar, op 
rechter hand ’ (‘ There, on the right hand ’); and sure enough there 
lay a dark object on the open sand eighty yards off. Somewhat 
sceptical I asked, ‘ Did you see it move ? ’ when Franz assured us 
that he not only saw it move, but could clearly discern its legs 
as it trotted along, but when he shouted it lay down. It was 
quite evident that the beast meant mischief, so I waited till the 
excitement of my companions abated somewhat, and then 
organised a systematic advance on the animal, which lay perfectly 
quiet watching us. Five yards apart, so that the beast could not 
attack more than one of us at a time, we slowly moved on the 
lion until within forty yards, expecting every moment that it 
would charge, and Steele, being the middle man, was accorded 
first shot. Bang, phup, went the shot, but the beast never 
stirred a hair, that we could see. Then Hammar fired when 
Steele had reloaded, and I also had a shot in my turn, yet 
he never moved. The probability was that Steele had killed him 
by the first shot, at least he said so. We now moved nearer in 
the same order as before, and still nearer until we could clearly 
make out that it was merely a scrubby bush we had been 
making excellent practice at in the moonlight, and no lion or 
other animal at all. Of course Steele received our hearty con¬ 
gratulations for the splendid accuracy of that ‘ first shot ’ he had 
so emphatically claimed; then we went to put our mixed span 
of oxen to rights, and proceeded on the journey. 
Franz’s explanation of his conduct in diving into the cart 
at the moment of danger, instead of coming to help us with 
his gun, did credit to the ineffective policy he always displayed 
in ‘ tight places.’ He said, ‘ Ik was niet bang maar voorsigtig ’ 
(‘ I was not afraid, but careful.’) 
His mistaking this bush for a lion was easily explained. 
Sitting in the front of the cart with the whip in his hand, he 
probably was thinking of nothing in particular, when looking 
round he saw the dark object close to the cart shifting its 
