parlance, and that he was rapidly approaching
to the encounter. Being without his gun, the farmer, little inclined to
cultivate his acquaintance, turned his horse off at a right angle, and
galloped for life. But it was too late; the horse was fagged, and bore a
heavy man upon his back; the lion was fresh, furious with hunger, and
came down upon him like a thunder-bolt. In a few minutes he brought man
and horse to the ground. Luckily, the man was not hurt, and the lion was
too much occupied with the horse to pay any attention to him. Hardly
knowing how he escaped, he contrived to do so, and reached the nearest
house. His remarks, when he related his adventure, were concerning the
audacity of the lion in attacking a Christian man; but his chief
vexation was about the saddle. He returned to the spot the next day, and
found the horse's bones picked clean, lion and saddle having both
disappeared. Lucas said he could excuse the beast for killing the horse,
as he had allowed himself to escape; but the abstraction of the saddle,
for which, he added, the lion could not possibly have any use, raised
his spleen, and called down a shower of abuse whenever he related the
story.

"We had," says Mr. Pringle, "been to tea with Captain Cameron's family,
to whom, as we were only three miles distant, we considered ourselves
next-door neighbours; and as the weather was fine, we rode home by
moonlight, jesting all the way about wild beasts and Caffres, and not at
all suspecting that a lion was dogging us through the bushes the whole
way home.

"About midnight I was awakened by an unusual noise in the cattle-fold,
and looking out, saw all our horned cattle spring over the high thorn
fence, and scamper round the place. Fancying that a hyaena, which I had
heard howling when I went to bed, had alarmed the animals, I sallied
forth to have a shot at it. I, however, could not find any cause for the
disturbance, and calling a Hottentot to drive back the cattle, and shut
them in, I again went to bed. The next morning Captain Cameron rode over
to say, his herdsman had discovered that a large lion had followed us up
the valley, and then, on further inspection, we found he had visited the
fold, and carried off a sheep. He appeared to have retreated to the
mountains, and we did not pursue him.

"The lion, however, was not disposed to let us off so easily. He
returned that night, and killed my favourite riding-horse, a little more
than a hundred yards