they replied, 'Whar? whar? Yah! Almagtig!
dat is he;' and instantly reining in their
steeds and wheeling about, they pressed their
heels to their horses' sides, and were
preparing to betake themselves to flight. I asked
them, what they were going to do? To which
they answered, 'We have not yet placed caps
on our rifles.' This was true; but while this
short conversation was passing, the lioness
had observed us. Raising her full round face,
she overhauled us for a few seconds and then
set off at a smart canter towards a range of
mountains some miles to the northward; the
whole troop of jackals also started off in
another direction; there was, therefore, no
time to think of caps. The first move was to
bring her to bay, and not a second was to be
lost. Spurring my good and lively steed, and
shouting to my men to follow, I flew across
the plain, and, being fortunately mounted on
Colesberg, the flower of my stud, I gained
upon her at every stride. This was to me a
joyful moment, and I at once made up my
mind that she or I must die." The lioness
soon after "suddenly pulled up, and sat on her
haunches like a dog, with her back towards
me, not even deigning to look round. She
then appeared to say to herself, 'Does this
fellow know who he is after?' Having thus
sat for half a minute, as if involved in thought,
she sprang to her feet, and facing about, stood
looking at me for a few seconds, moving her
tail slowly from side to side, showing her
teeth, and growling fiercely. She next made
a short run forwards, making a loud, rumbling
noise like thunder. This she did to intimidate
me; but, finding that I did not flinch an inch,
nor seem to heed her hostile demonstrations,
she quietly stretched out her massive arms,
and lay down on the grass. My Hottentots
now coming up, we all three dismounted, and
drawing our rifles from their holsters, we
looked to see if the powder was up in the
nipples, and put on our caps. While this
was doing, the lioness sat up, and showed
evident symptoms of uneasiness. She looked
first at us, and then behind her, as if to see if
the coast were clear; after which she made a
short run towards us, uttering her deep-
drawn murderous growls. Having secured
the three horses to one another by their
rheims, we led them on as if we intended to
pass her, in the hope of obtaining a broadside;
but this she carefully avoided to expose,
presenting only her full front. I had given
Stofolus my Moore rifle, with orders to shoot
her if she should spring upon me, but on no
account to fire before me. Kleinboy was to
stand ready to hand me my Purdey rifle, in
case the two-grooved Dixon should not prove
sufficient. My men as yet had been steady,
but they were in a precious stew, their faces
having assumed a ghastly paleness; and I had
a painful feeling that I could place no reliance
on them. Now, then, for it, neck or nothing!
She is within sixty yards of us, and she keeps
advancing. We turned the horses' tails to
her. I knelt on one side, and, taking a steady
aim at her breast, let fly. The ball cracked
loudly on her tawny hide, and crippled her in
the shoulder; upon which she charged with
an appalling roar, and in the twinkling of an
eye she was in the midst of us. At this
moment Stofolus's rifle exploded in his hand,
and Kleinboy, whom I had ordered to stand
ready by me, danced about like a duck in a
gale of wind. The lioness sprang upon
Colesberg, and fearfully lacerated his ribs and
haunches with her horrid teeth and claws;
the worst wound was on his haunch, which
exhibited a sickening, yawning gash, more
than twelve inches long, almost laying bare
the very bone. I was very cool and steady,
and did not feel in the least degree nervous,
having fortunately great confidence in my
own shooting; but I must confess, when the
whole affair was over, I felt that it was a very
awful situation, and attended with extreme
peril, as I had no friend with me on whom I
could rely. When the lioness sprang on
Colesberg, I stood out from the horses, ready
with my second barrel for the first chance she
should give me of a clear shot. This she
quickly did; for, seemingly satisfied with
the revenge she had now taken, she quitted
Colesberg, and, slewing her tail to one side,
trotted sulkily past within a few paces of me,
taking one step to the left. I pitched my
rifle to my shoulder, and in another second
the lioness was stretched on the plain a
lifeless corpse."

This is, however, but a harmless adventure
compared with a subsequent escapade—not
with one, but with six lions. It was the
hunter's habit to lay wait near the drinking-
places of these animals, concealed in a hole
dug for the purpose. In such a place on the
occasion in question, Mr. Cumming—having
left one of three rhinoceroses he had
previously killed as a bait—ensconced himself.
Such a savage festival as that which introduced
the adventure, has never before, we
believe, been introduced through the medium
of the softest English and the finest hot-
pressed paper to the notice of the civilised
public. "Soon after twilight," the author
relates, "I went down to my hole with Kleinboy
and two natives, who lay concealed in another
hole, with Wolf and Boxer ready to slip, in
the event of wounding a lion. On reaching
the water I looked towards the carcase of the
rhinoceros, and, to my astonishment, I beheld
the ground alive with large creatures, as
though a troop of zebras were approaching
the fountain to drink. Kleinboy remarked
to me that a troop of zebras were standing on
the height. I answered, 'Yes;' but I knew
very well that zebras would not be capering
around the carcase of a rhinoceros. I quickly
arranged my blankets, pillow, and guns in the
hole, and then lay down to feast my eyes on
the interesting sight before me. It was bright
moonlight, as clear as I need wish, and within
one night of being full moon. There were six