and furious with hunger, and came down upon him like a thunderbolt. In a few seconds it overtook, and, springing up behind Lucas, brought horse and man in an instant to the ground. Luckily the poor boor was unhurt; and the lion was too eager in worrying the horse to pay any immediate attention to the rider. Hardly knowing how he escaped, he contrived to scramble out of the fray and reached the nearest house in safety."

In Southern Africa the colonists occasionally find it absolutely necessary to combine all their force to hunt the lion, in order to free themselves from such a troublesome neighbour. Mr. Thompson supplies us with a personal adventure of this description, which affords a lively description of the scenes to which such an affair usually gives rise. "I was then residing on my farm or location at Bavion's River, in the neighbourhood of which numerous herds of large game, and consequently beasts of prey, are abundant. One night a lion, which had previously purloined a few sheep out of the kraal, came down and killed my riding horse, about a hundred yards from the door of my

cabin. Knowing that the lion, when he does not carry off his prey, usually conceals himself in the vicinity, and is moreover very apt to be dangerous by prowling about the place in search of more game, I resolved to have him destroyed or dislodged without delay. I therefore sent a messenger round the location to invite all who were willing to assist in the foray to repair to the place of rendezvous as speedily as possible. In an hour every man of the party (with the exception of two pluckless fellows who were kept at home by the women) appeared ready mounted and armed. We were also reinforced by about a dozen of the Bastaard Hottentots, who resided at that time upon our territory as tenants or herdsmen; an active and enterprising, though rather an unsteady race of men.

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The first point was to track the lion to his covert this was effected by a few of the Hottentots on foot. Commencing from the spot where the horse was killed, we followed the spoor through grass and gravel and brushwood, with astonishing ease and dexterity, where an unexperienced eye could discern neither foot-print nor mark of any

kind, until at length we fairly tracked him into a large bosch or straggling thicket of brushwood and evergreens, about a mile distant.

"The next object was to drive him out of this retreat, in order to attack him in a close phalanx with more safety and effect. The approved mode in such cases is, to torment him with dogs till he abandons his covert and stands at bay in the open plain. The whole band of hunters then march forward together and fire deliberately, one by one. If he does not speedily fall, but grows angry and turns upon his enemies, they must stand close in a circle, and turn their horses rear outwards, some holding them fast by the bridles, while the others kneel to take a steady aim at the lion as he approaches, sometimes up to the very horses' heels, crouching every now and then as if to measure the distance and strength of his enemies. This is the moment to shoot him fairly in the forehead or some other mortal part. If they continue to wound him ineffectually till he waxes furious and desperate, or if the horses, startled by his terrific roar, grow frantic with terror and burst loose, the business becomes rather serious and may end in mis

chief, especially if the party are not men of courage, coolness, and experience. The frontier boors are however generally such excellent marksmen, and withal so cool and deliberate, that they seldom fail to shoot him dead as soon as they get within a fair distance.

"In the present instance, we did not manage matters quite so scientifically. The Bastaards, after recounting to us all these and other sage laws of lion hunting, were themselves the first to depart from them. Finding that with the few indifferent hounds we had made little impression on the enemy, they divided themselves into two or three parties and rode round the jungle, firing into the spot where the dogs were barking round him, but without effect. At length, after some hours spent in thus beating about the bush, the Scottish blood of some of my countrymen began to get impatient, and three of them announced their determination to break in and beard the lion in his den, provided three of the Bastaards (who were superior marksmen) would support them and follow up their fire should the enemy venture to give battle. Accordingly, in they went (in spite of the warnings

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of some more prudent men) to within fifteen or twenty paces of the spot where the animal lay concealed. He was couched among the roots of a large evergreen, but with a small space of open ground on one side of it; and they fancied, on approaching, that they saw him distinctly, glaring at them, under the foliage. Charging the Bastaards to stand firm and level fair should they miss, the Scottish champions let fly together, and struck-not the lion, as it afterwards proved, but a great block of red stone, beyond which he was actually lying. Whether any of the shot grazed him is uncertain; but, with no other warning than a furious growl, forth he bolted from the bush. The rascally Bastaards, in place of pouring their volley upon him, instantly turned and ran, helterskelter, leaving him to do his pleasure upon the defenceless Scots, who, with empty guns, were tumbling over each other in their hurry to escape the clutch of the rampant savage. In a twinkling he was upon them, and, with one stroke of his paw, dashed the nearest to the ground. The scene was terrific! There stood the lion, with his foot his prostrate foe, looking round in conscious pride

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