fire between the wagons and the water, close on the river's bank,
under a dense grove of shady trees, making a 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 blood-thirsty man-eater lion was
crouching near, and only watching his opportunity to spring into the
midst of us, and consign one of our number 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 fireside, and lay down; these were John Stofolus, Hendrick, and
Ruyter. In a few minutes an ox came out by the gate of the kraal and
walked out by the back of it. Hendrick got up and drove him in again,
and then went back to his fireside and lay down. Hendrick and Ruyter
lay on one side of the fire under one blanket, and John Stofolus lay
on the other. At this moment I was sitting taking some barley-broth;
our fire was very small, and the night was pitch-dark and windy. Owing
to our proximity to the native village the wood was very scarce, the
Bakalahari having burnt it all in their fires.

Suddenly the appalling and murderous voice of an angry blood-thirsty
lion burst upon my ears within a few yards of us, followed by the
shrieking of the Hottentots. Again and again the murderous roar of