THE LION. 55

hill, with the man in his mouth, when about forty shots were
fired without hitting him, although some were very near.
Every time this happened, he turned round towards the tent,
and came roaring towards us; and, I am of opinion, that if
he had been hit, he would have rushed on the people and
the tent. When it became broad daylight, we perceived, by
the blood, and a piece of the clothes of the man, that the
lion had taken him away.” “For the satisfaction of the
curious,” says Sir William Jardine, “it may be mentioned, that
he was followed, and killed in the forenoon, over the mangled
remains of the unfortunate sentinel.”

A Night Mr. Gordon Cumming gives an even more thrilling

Surprise. account of a similar adventure of his experience.
He says:—“ About three hours after the sun went down, I
called to my men to come and take their coffee and supper
which was ready for them at my fire; and after supper, three
of them returned before their comrades to their own fireside
and lay down.... In a few minutes an ox came out by the
gate of the kraal and walked round the back of it. Hen-
drick got up and drove him again and then went back to
his fireside and lay down. Hendrick and Ruyter lay on one
side of the fire under one blanket and John Stofolus lay on
the other.... Suddenly the appalling and murderous voice
of an angry bloodthirsty lion, within a few yards of us, burst
upon my ear, followed by the shrieking of the Hottentots.
Again and again the murderous roar of the attack was re-
peated. We heard John and Ruyter shriek, ‘the Lion! the
Lion!...’ Next instant John Stofolus rushed into the midst
of us almost speechless with fear and terror, and eyes bursting
from their sockets, and shrieked out, ‘the lion! the lion.
He has got Hendrick, he dragged him away from the fire
beside me. I struck him with the burning brands upon his
head, but he would not let go his hold. Hendrick is dead!
O God! Hendrick is dead! Let us take fire and seek
him....’ It appeared that when the unfortunate Hendrick