Year: 1860

| 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