6o A V O Y A G E t o t h e December tWScilSfctiy convenient part of the animal prefent itfelf, O t O efpecially obliquely from behind. I f now the lion turns upon him too, the other hunters turn again, in order to come to his refcue with the charge, which they loaded with on horfeback, while they were flying from the wild beaft. No inftance has -ever been known, of any misfortune happening to the hunters in chafing the lion on horfeback. The African colonifts, who are' born in, or have had the courage to remove into the more remote parts of Africa, which are expofed to thè ravages of wild beafts, are moftly good markfmen, and are far from wanting courage. The lion, that has the boldnefs to feize on their cattle, which are the rnoft valuable part o f their property, fometimes at their very doors, is as. , odious to them, as he is dangerous and noxious. They confequently feek out thefe animals, and hunt them with the greateft ardour and glee, with a view to exterminate them. When the lion, therefore, comes: upon their grounds, it is much the fame as i f they were going to fight pro arts et focis ; and I have heard feveral yeomen at Agter Bruntjes Hoogte, when I was out a hunting with them, merely exprefs a wifti to meet with the lions, in cafe there were any in that neighbourhood, without mentioning a word about ihooting them ; a fign, that with regard to that part o f the bufineis they were pretty fure. o f their hands. The lion is by no means hard to kill. Thoie who have had occafion to ihoot feveral o f thefe animals, have allured1 me, that while buffaloes and the larger fpecies of antilopes will now and then make their efcape and run fairly off with with a ball in their bowels, or in the cavity o f their abdomen, of which I myfelf have feen inftances, the lion, on the contrary, on being ihot in this manner, will be thrown into a vomiting, and be difabled from running. But be that as it may, it is natural to fuppofe, that a well-dire£ted ihot that enters the heart or lungs, ihould fuffice to kill the lion, as well as the elephant and every other creature : therefore, as M. d e B u f f o n acknowledges, that the lion’s hide cannot withftand either ball or dart, it is inconceiveable how it ihould come into this author’s head to affert, without having >775/ December. the leaft authority for it, that this furious beaft is hardly ever to be killed with a fingle ihot. The hides of lions are looked upon as being inferior to, and more rotten than thoie o f cows, and are feldom made ufe o f at the Cape, excepting for the fame purpofe as horfes hides. I met with a farmer, however, who ufed a lion’s hide for upper leathers to his ihoes, and fpoke highly o f them, as being pliable and lafting. The next morning, being the 13th, we were lucky enough to ihoot a buffalo fatter than the former. (For a figure of this animal, vide Plate II. of this volume.) This was a great treat for my Hottentots, and, indeed, for myfelf, as the fleih of the other was grown putrid in confequence of the warmth o f the weather, and the bad quality, of the meat itfelf. Befides, f I had now a better opportunity o f drawing up a defcription o f this beaft, which has been hitherto unknown, and at the fame time of making a rough draught of it. Immediately after the report of the gun, we faw the buffalo fall upon its knees; he afterwards, however, raifed himfelf up, and ran feven or eight hundred paces into a 8 thicket,
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