THE LION AND OTHER BEASTS OF PREY 
231 
Lucas soon perceived, at least, that he was not disposed to let him 
pass without further parlance, and that he was rapidly advancing to 
the encounter; and being without his rifle, and otherwise little inclined 
to any closer acquaintance, he turned off at right angles, laid the whip 
freely to the horse’s flank, and galloped for life. But it was too late. 
The horse was fagged and bore a heavy man on his back,—the lion 
was fresh and furious with hunger, and came down upon him like a 
thunderbolt. In a few seconds he came up, and springing up behind 
Lucas, brought horse and man instantly to the ground. Happily the 
poor Boor was unhurt, and the lion was fully occupied in worrying 
the horse. 
Hardly knowing how it was done, he contrived to scramble out of 
the fray, and hurried at the top of his speed to the nearest house. 
Lucas, when relating his adventure, did not describe it as in any way 
remarkable, except as to the lion’s audacity in pursuing a “Christian- 
man” without provocation, in open day. His greatest vexation ap¬ 
peared to arise from the loss of his saddle. He returned next day, 
with a party of friends, to search for it, and to avenge himself on his 
foe, but they found only the horse’s clean picked bones. Lucas re¬ 
marked that he could excuse the schelm (the rascal) for killing his 
horse, as he had let himself escape; but then, as he said gravely, the 
saddle could be of no use to him, and he considered the depredator well 
deserved his most vehement invectives. 
Two Boors, returning from hunting a species of antelope, fell in 
with a leopard in a mountain ravine, and immediately gave chase to 
the creature. At first, he endeavored to escape by clambering up a 
precipice, but, being hotly pressed, and slightly wounded by a musket- 
ball, he turned on his pursuers, with that frantic ferocity which, on 
^such emergencies, he so frequently displays, and, springing on the 
man who had fired at him, tore him from his horse to the ground, 
biting him, at the same time, very severely on the shoulder, and tearing 
his face and arms with his claws. The other hunter, seeing the danger 
of his comrade, sprang from his horse, and attempted to shoot the 
leopard through the head; but, whether owing to trepidation, the fear 
of wounding his friend, or the sudden motions of the animal, he 
unfortunately missed his aim. 
