us all was very serious. I felt confounded and utterly sick
in my heart; I could not remain at the wagons, so I resolved to go after
elephants to divert my mind. I had that morning heard them breaking the
trees on the opposite side of the river. I accordingly told the natives
of the village of my intentions, and having ordered my people to devote
the day to fortifying the kraal, started with Piet and Ruyter as my
after-riders. It was a very cool day. We crossed the river, and at once
took up the fresh spoor of a troop of bull elephants. These bulls
unfortunately joined a troop of cows, and when we came on them the dogs
attacked the cows, and the bulls were off in a moment, before we could
even see them. One remarkably fine old cow charged the dogs. I hunted
this cow, and finished her with two shots from the saddle. Being anxious
to return to my people before night, I did not attempt to follow the
troop. My followers were not a little gratified to see me returning, for
terror had taken hold of their minds, and they expected that the lion
would return, and, emboldened by the success of the preceding night,
would prove still more daring in his attack. The lion would most
certainly have returned, but fate had otherwise ordained. My health had
been better in the last three days: my fever was leaving me, but I was,
of course, still very weak. It would still be two hours before the sun
would set, and, feeling refreshed by a little rest, and able for further
work, I ordered the steeds to be saddled, and went in search of the
lion.

I took John and Carey as after-riders, armed, and a party of the natives
followed up the spoor and led the dogs. The lion had dragged the remains
of poor Hendric along a native foot-path that led up the river side. We
found fragments of his coat all along the spoor, and at last the mangled
coat itself. About six hundred yards from our camp a dry river's course
joined the Limpopo. At this spot was much shade, cover, and heaps of dry
reeds and trees deposited by the Limpopo in some great flood. The lion
had left the foot-path and entered this secluded spot. I at once felt
convinced that we were upon him, and ordered the natives to make loose
the dogs. These walked suspiciously forward on the spoor, and next
minute began to spring about, barking angrily, with all their hair
bristling on their backs: a crash upon the dry reeds immediately
followed--it was the lion bounding away.

Several of the dogs we