The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-03-27

began to chatter, and no dogs barked. Nor
could see any native sheep or cattle Inc
place. though it had evidently been recently
inhabited, was as still as the bush round 1T,
and some guinea fowl got up out of the
prickly pear bushes right at the kraai gate
| remember that | hesitated little before
going in, there was such an airOf desolatlon
about the spot Nature never looks des-
olate when man has not yet laid his hand
upon her breast; she is only lonely. But
when man has been, and has passed away,
then she looks desolate.
Il had trekked from dawn till eleven
o'clock-a long trek-but wanted to get on 4;
and then had the oxen turned out TO Craze,
sending the voorlooper to look after them,
meaning to inspan again about six o clock,
and trek with the moon till ten. Then l
got into the wagon and had good sleep
till half-past two or so in the afternoon,
when got up and cooked some meat and
had my dinner, washing it down with a
pannillin of black collector it was difficult
to get preserved milk in those days, Just
as had finished, and the driver, man
called Tom, was washing up the things, in
comes the young scoundrel of a voorlooper
driving one OK before him.
"'Where are the other oXenH | asked
"'Koosn ne said, 'Koos! Chief the other
oxen have gone away. turned my back
for minute and when / looked round
again they were all gone except Kaptein
here, who was rubbing his back against a
tree
you mean that you have been asleep,
and let them stray, you villain. | will rub
your back against stick | answered, feel
ing very angry, for it was not pleasant
prospect to be stuck up in that fever trap
for week or so while we were hunting for
the oxen. OFF you go, and you too, Tom,
and mind you don't come back till you have
found them They have trekked back along
the Middelburg road, and are a dozen miles
off by now, pll be bound, Now, no words
go both of YOU
"Tom, the driver, swore and caught the
lad hearty kick, which he richly deserved,
and then. having tied old Kaptein up to
the disselboom with a REIN, they got their
assegais and sticks and started. | would
have gone too, only / knew that somebody
must look after the wagon, and | did not
like to leave either of the boys with it at
night. was in very bad temper, indeed,
although | was pretty well used to these
sort of occurrences, and soothed myself by
taking rifle and going to kill something.
For couple of hours poked abodt with
out seeing any thing that could get a shot
seventy yards of the wagon, put up an old
Impala ram from behind mimosa thorn.
He ran straight for the wagon, and it was
not till he was passing within few feet of
it that | could get a decent shot at him.
Then l pulled, and caught him halfway
door-nail, and pretty shot it was though
| ought not to say it. This little incident
put me into rather a better temper eSpe-
cially as the buck had rolled over right
against the after-p part of the wagon, so had
only to dress him, fix rein round his legs
and haul him up. By the time l had done
this the sun was down, and the full moon
was up, and beautiful moon it was. And
then there came down that wonderful hush
that sometimes falls over the African bush
in the early hours of the night. No beast
was moving, and no bird called. Not a
breath of air stirred the quiet trees, and the
shadows did not even culver; they only
grew. 1t was very oppressive and very
lonely, for there was not a sign of the cat
tie OF the boys | was quite thankful for
the society of old Kaptein, who was lying
down contentedly against the disselbOom
chewing the cud with good conscience.
Presently, however, Kaptein began to
get restless. First he snorted, then he got
up and snorted again. | could not make it
out, so like fool got down off the wagon
box to have a look round thinking it might
be the lost oxen coming
Next instant | regretted it, for all of
sudden heard an awful roar and saw
something yellow flash past me and light
on poor Kaptein. Then came below of
agony from the OK, and "A crunch as the lion
put his teeth through the poor brute's neck,
and began to realize what had happened.
My rifle was in the wagon, and my first
thought was to get hold of it, and turned
and made a bolt for it, got my foot on
the wheel and flung my body forward on
to the wagon, and there | stopped as if
were frozen. and no wonder, for as / was
about to spring up heard the lion behind
me, and next second | felt the. brute, aye,
as plainly as l can feel this table | felt
him, say, shifting at my left leg that was
hanging down.
"My word did feel queer; don't think
that | ever felt SO queer before. | dared
not move for the life of me, and the odd
thing was that | seemed to lose power over
my leg, which had an insane sort of inclina-
ton to kick out of its own mere motion
Just as historical people want to laugh
when they ought to be particularly solemn.
Well, the lion shifted and shifted, beginning
at my ankle and slowly nosing away up to
my thigh | thought that he was going to
get hold then, but he did not. He only
growled softly, and went back to the OK.
Shifting my head a little | got full view
of him. He was the biggest lion | ever saw,
and | have seen a great many, and he had
a most tremendous black name. What his
teeth were like you can see-look there,
pretty big ones amt they! Altogether he
was magnificent animal, and as | lay
there sprawling on the fore-tongue of the
wagon, it occurred to me that he would
look uncommonly well in cage He stood
there by the carcass of poor Kaptein, and
deliberately disembowelled him as neatly
as butcher could have done. All this
while dare not move, for he kept lifting
his head and keeping an eye on me as he
licked his bloody chops. When he had
cleaned Kaptein out he opened his mouth
and roared and am noteXaggerating when
/ say that the sound shook the wagon. In
stantly there came back an answering roar
d" Heavens y i thought there is his mate ,
Hardly was the thought out of my head
when | caught sight in the moonlight of the
lioness bounding along through the long
grass, and after her a couple of cubs about
the size of mastiffs. She stopped within a
few feet of my head, and stood and waved
her tail, and fixed me with her glowing
yellow eyes; but just as thought that it
was all over she turned, and began to feed
on Kaptein, and so did the cubs. There
were the four of them within eight feet of
me, growing and quarreling, rending and
tearing and crunching poor Kaptein' IS
bones; and there | lay shaking with terror,
and the cold perspiration pouring out of
me; feeling like another Daniel come to
Judgment in new sense of the phrase.
Presently the cubs had eaten their fill, and
began to get restless. One went round to
the back of the wagon, and pulled at the
Impala buck that hung there, and the other
came round my way and began the shifting
game at my leg. Indeed, he did more than
that, for, my trousers being hitched up Il
little, he began to lick the bare skin with
his rough tongue. The more he licked the
more he liked it, to judge from his increased
vigor and the loud purring noise he made.
Then knew that the end had come, for in
another second his file-like tongue would