ats.

[From Cumming's Hunting Adventures in South Africa.]

FEARFUL TRAGEDY--A MAN-EATING LION.

On the 29th we arrived at a small village of Bakalahari. These natives
told me that elephants were abundant on the opposite side of the river.
I accordingly resolved to halt here and hunt, and drew my wagons up on
the river's bank, within thirty yards of the water, and about one
hundred yards from the native village. Having outspanned, we at once set
about making for the cattle a kraal of the worst description of
thorn-trees. Of this I had now become very particular, since my severe
loss by lions on the first of this month; and my cattle were, at night,
secured by a strong kraal, which inclosed my two wagons, the horses
being made fast to a trek-tow stretched between the hind wheels of the
wagons. I had yet, however, a fearful lesson to learn as to the nature
and character of the lion, of which I had at one time entertained so
little fear; and on this night a horrible tragedy was to be acted in my
little lonely camp of so very awful and appalling a nature as to make
the blood curdle in our veins. I worked till near sundown at one side of
the kraal with Hendric, my first wagon-driver--I cutting down the trees
with my ax, and he dragging them to the kraal. When the kraal for the
cattle was finished, I turned my attention to making a pot of
barley-broth, and lighted a fire between the wagons and the water, close
on the river's bank, under a dense grove of shady trees, making no sort
of kraal around our sitting-place for the evening.

The Hottentots, without any reason, made their fire about fifty yards
from mine; they, according to their usual custom, being satisfied with
the shelter of a large dense bush. The evening passed away cheerfully.
Soon after it was dark we heard elephants breaking the trees in the
forest across the river, and once or twice I strode away into the
darkness some distance from the fireside to stand and listen to them. I
little, at that moment, deemed of the imminent peril to which I was
exposing my life, nor thought that a bloodthirsty man-eater lion was
crouching near, and only watching his opportunity to spring into the
kraal, and consign one of us to a most horrible death. 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 firesi