i?7 S' December. felves; and, indeed, I may fay, juft as if they were in the agonies of death. In the mean time, my Hottentots made the neceifary preparations, and laid each of them their javelins by the fide of them. We likewife loaded all our five pieces, three of which we diftributed among thofe o f our Hottentots who Ipoke Dutch. Fires and fire-brands are univerfally reckoned, and, indeed, were faid by my Hottentots, to be a great preferva- tive and defence againft lions and other wild beafts ; they could, however, themfelves mention inftances, in which the lion had leaped forward to the fire, and carried off fome one o f them, who had been fitting round it and warming themfelves. The animal too has fometimes taken - its prey to fo ihort a diftance, that the poor wretch’s companions have plainly heard it champing and chewing his fleih. The Hottentots defired us who were placed in the waggon, not to be in too great hafte to fire in cafe a lion fhould take a leap among them, for fear that in the dark we might at the fame time hurt fome of them. They had , concerted matters fo, that fome of them fhould rather attempt to pierce him through with their haffagais or fpears, while at the fame inftant the others fhould endeavour to cling about its legs. They looked upon it as a certain fait, and I have fince heard the fame from others, that a lion does not immediately kill the perfon he has got under him, unlefs he is excited to do fo by the refiftance he meets with. At length, however, it is reported, the royal tyrant gives the coup de grace on the victim’s breaft with a hideous roar. On this ■oceafion I muft do my Hottentots the juftice to fay, that they they did not fhew the leaft fear; though they conceived the old and commonly-received notion to be abfolutely true, that both lions and tigers would Attack a flave or a Hottentot, before they will a colonift or a white man. Confequently,, Mr. Im m e lM A N and I had no fuch great reafon to be in fear for our own perfons, unlefs more than one lion fhould come to attack us, or that we fhould dif- charge our pieces too precipitately and mifs him; for in fuch a cafe, the lion always rufhes on the markfman. In another refpedt, however, we that lay in the waggon and at a diftance from the fire, were moft liable to receive a vifit from the lions; or at leaft to fee our horfes and oxen, which were tied up to the waggon, feized by them. Otherwife, for the Angularity o f the fpeitacle, I fhould have been glad to have feen an attack o f this kind, -if it had not coft me more than a couple o f ray oxen. In fuch a cafe, indeed, my horfeS would probably firft have fallen a prey to this rapacious ■ animal, as it is generally fuppofed, that the lion gives them the preference. Among our oxen there was one which at this time, as weft as fince upon other fimilar occafions,’ appeared extremely dif- quieted and reftlefs. I-t had befides, a lingular and afto- nifhing habit of making. ah inward noife, which cannot be defcribed; and this was the cafe likewife with the ftone- horfe,- in his own peculiar way; This, in faft, was fuffi- cient to make us keep ourfelves in readinefs, though it happened not to be abfolutely neceifary: however, we quickly got accuftomed to it, and feveral times laid" our- felveS down to fleep, void of care, leaving our beafts to figh on unheeded. It is, indeed, a wonderful circumftance, that . , V o l . II. G the
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