veldt.

Later on, about midnight, the impression came upon him that he could
hear a lion far away, seeming to make the earth quiver beneath him by
giving forth in the fierce beast's strangely ventriloquial way its
awe-inspiring roar, so puzzling to the listener as to whether it is far
off or near. And even in his dreamy state West found himself doubting
that it could be a lion's roar that he heard so near to where
civilisation had driven off most of the savage beasts of the plain. But
the roar came again, nearer, and in his dreams he felt sure that he was
right, and he recalled, still sleeping, the fact that now and then the
king of beasts followed one or other of the straggling herds of
antelopes quite close to the Boers' farms. Then the curious barking
roar ceased, and with it consciousness for some time.

All at once he found himself wide awake, lying upon his back, and gazing
straight up through the transparent darkness at the stars. He lay for
some moments wondering what had awakened him, perfectly still, and
listening intently for steps or the trampling of horses, feeling sure
that the Boers were close at hand.

Instinctively his hand was reached out to grasp the rifle, which he had
laid by his side and covered from the dew or hoar frost, whichever might
come, by throwing over it part of his blanket.

As he touched it the cold perspiration began to start from every pore,
for there was a whiff of hot breath upon his face, and he could dimly
see that some large animal was stretching down its muzzle towards him,
and for a few brief moments he lay as if paralysed, expecting to feel
himself seized and dragged away, for now came back with keen clearness
the recollection of having heard the distant roaring of a lion.

He had hardly grasped this when once more, from somewhere near, the
lion's terrifying cry arose, evidently, as he thought in a flash, one of
the companions of the huge beast at his side. In an instant now he had
grasped the truth, for as the distant lion roared there came from his
right the peculiar stumbling movement of one of the hobbled horses
striving to get closer to where there would be human companionship, if
not protection. "Poor beast!" thought West, as his fascinated eyes
stared at the dim shape above him, so close that it shut out from him
the light of the stars.

Then the half-paralysed listener saw clearly, for the beast raised its
head and uttered a low whinnying cry, which was an