AN ADVENTURE WITH LIONS ; 73

killed the most, then rhinoceroses, and, lastly, lions.
Areep, the predecessor of Cornelius as chief of his
tribe, was killed by a black rhinoceros. It is curious
how many people are wounded by lions, though not
killed. A very active Damara, who was some time
with me in Damaraland, but who stayed behind as I
journeyed up country, was in a dreadfully mangled
state when I returned. He had found a lion in the
act of striking down his ox, and rushed at him with
his assegai ; he gave him a wound that must have
proved mortal, for the assegai went far into his side,
but the lion turned upon him, and seizing him, bit
one elbow-joint quite through, and continued worry-
ing him until some other Damaras ran up and killed
the animal. My servant, Hans, had a very narrow
escape some time since. He was riding old Friesch-
land (the most useful ox I had, but now worn out by
the Ondonga journey) along the Swakop, when he
saw something dusky by the side of a camelthorn
tree, two hundred yards off. This was a lion, that
rose and walked towards him. Hans had his gun
in his gun-bag by the side of his saddle, and rode on,
for there is no use in provoking hostilities single-
handed with a lion, unless some object has to be
gained by it. As every sportsman at last acknow-
ledges, the coolest hand and the best shot are never
safe, for a bullet, however well aimed, is not certain to
put the animal hors de combat. After the lion had
walked some twenty or thirty-yards, Frieschland, the
ox, either saw or smelt him, and became furious.
Hans had enough to do to keep his seat, for a power-
ful long-horned ox tossing his head about and plung-