The constitutional union., 1860-11-16
I told my men that Hendric

| guns in their hands till the day broke, still tancying that every moment the lion would return and spring again into the midst of us.
 When tho dogs were first let go, the stupid brutes, instead of going at the lion, rushed fercely on one another, and fought desperate ly for some minutes. After this they got his wind, and, going at him, disclosed to us his position; they kept up a continued barking until the day dawned the lion occasionally springing after them and driving them in upon the kraal The horrible monster lay all night within forty yards of us, consuming the wretched man whom he had chosen for his prey. He had dragged him into little hol- low at the back of the thick bush beside
 which the fire was kindled, and there he re- mained till the day dawned, careless of our proximity.
 It appeared that when the unfortunate Hen
 dric rose to drive in the OK, the lion had
 watched him to his freside, and he had scarce
 y laid down when the brute sprang upon him and Ruyter (for both lay under one blanket)
 with his appalling, murderous roar, and, roar
 ing as he lay, grappled him with his fearful
 claws, and kept biting him on the breast and
 shoulder, all the while feeling for his neck :;
 having got hold of which he at once dragged
 him away backward round the bush into the
 dense shade.
 As the lion lay upon the unfortunate man,
 he fairly cried, !" Helpme, help me! Oh God
 men, help me " After which the fearful
 beast got d hold of his neck and then all was
 still, except that his comrades heard the bones
 of his neck cracking between the teeth of the
 lion. John Stotolus had lain with his neck
 to the fire on the opposite side, and on hear
 ing the lion, he sprang up, and, siezing a
 large flaming brand, had belabored him on the
 head with the burning wood but the brute
 did not take any notice of him. The Bush-
 man had narrow escape; be was not alto
 gcther scathless, the lion having inflicted two
 gashes in his seat with his claws.
 The next morning, just as the day began
 to dawn, we heard the lion dragging some
 thing up the river side, under cover of the
 bank. We drove the cattle out of the kraal,
 and then proceeded to inspect the scene of
 the nights awful tragedy. In the hollow,
 where the lion had lain consuming his prey,
 we found one leg of the unfortunate Hendric,
 bitten off below the knee, the shoe still on his
 foot; the grass and bushes were all stained
 with his blood, and fragments of his pea
 coat lay around. Poor Hendric 1 knew the
 fragments of that old coat, and had often
 marked them hanging in the dense covers
 where the elephant had charged after my un-
 fortunate after-driver Hendrc was by far the best man had aboutmy wagons of amost cheer
 ful disposition, afrst-rate wagon driver, fearless in the field ever, active, willing and obliging his loss to us aHgwas very serious. 1 felt con- founded and utterly sick in my heart l could not remain at the wagons, so resolved to go after elephants to divert my mind. 1 had that ] morning heard them breaking the trees on the ] opposite side of the river. accordingly told the natives of the village of my intentions, , and having ordered my people to devote the day to fortltying the kraal, started with Piet , and Ruyter as my alter-riders, It was very , cool day. We crossed the river, and at once
 took up the fresh spoor of troop of bull ele- phants. These bulls unfortunately joined a troop of cows, and the bulls were off in a mo- mcnt, before we could even see them One re- , markedly fine old COW charged the dogs. 1 hunted this COW, and finished her with two shots from the saddle. Being anxious to re- turn to my people before night, l did not at : tempt to follow the troop My followers were not little gratified to sec me returning, for terror had taken hold of their minds, and they
 expected that the lion would return, and, en- , boldened by the success of the proceeding night, would prove still more daring in his at tack, The Ion would certainly have returned, but fate had otherwise ordained My health had been better in the last three days; my fe- yer was leaving me- but l was, of course, still
 very weak. It would still be two hours before , the sun would set, and, feeling refreshed by a
 little rest, and able for further work, ordered
 the steeds to be saddled, and went in search of , the lion
 took John and Carey as after-riders, armed, , and partyof natives followed up the spoor, l, and led the dogs The lion had dragged the remains of poor Hendric along native foot
 path that led up the river bank. We found fragments of his coat all along the spoor and at last the mangled coat itself About six hun dred yards from our camp dry rivers course joined the Limpopo. At this spot was much shade, cover, and heaps of dry reeds and trees } deposited by the Limpope in some great flood. The lion had left the tootpath and entered this secluded spot. l at once felt that we were upon him, and ordered the natives to make loose the dogs. These walked suspiciously : forward on the spoor, and next minute began
 to spring about barking angrily, with their
 hair bristlng on their backs crash upon
 the dry reeds immediately followed-it was the lion bounding away.
 Several of the dogs were extremely afraid of him, and kept rushing continually back ward and springing aloft to obtain view. l now pressed forward and urged them on old }; Argyll and Bes took up his spoor in gallant style, and led on the other dogs. Then com menced short but lively and glorious chase, whose conclusion was the only small satistac- ton 1 could obtain to answer for the horrors of the preceding evening. The lion held } up the rivers bank for short distance, and l look away through some wait-a-bit thorn cover, the best he could find, but nevertheless open. Here, in two minutes, the dogs were upon him, ana he turned and stood at bay. As 1 ap- preached, he stood, his horrid head right to me, with open jaws, growing fercely, his tail waving from side to side -
 On eeholding him my blood boiled with rage. Iwished that could take him alive and torture him. and, setting my teeth, I dashed my steed forward within thirty yards of him