n arrived on the other side of it, with their guns all ready; but on
their arrival, to their astonishment, they perceived the lion and the
male gemsbok lying together. The antelope was dead, but the lion still
alive; though the horns of the gemsbok had passed through his body. At
the sight of the hunters, the lion, pierced through as he was, raised
his head with a loud roar, and struck out with his paw, as he twisted
towards them, his eyes glaring like hot coals, and showing his
tremendous fangs. Alexander was the first who fired, and the ball
penetrating the brain of the noble animal, it fell down dead upon the
body of the antelope.

"This is the finest sight I ever witnessed," observed Swinton. "I have
heard that the gemsboks' horns are sometimes fatal to the lion, but I
could hardly credit it. They have passed nearly through his body; the
points are under the skin."

"Now we know, master, why gemsbok have his nose to the ground and his
horn pointed," said Bremen; "he saw the lion, and fought him to save his
herd."

"I am quite stunned yet," observed Alexander. "What a noble animal it
is! Well, at all events, I can say that I have shot a lion, which is
more than you can, Major."

"I only wish that when I shoot one I may have no more danger to incur,"
replied the Major. "What a different idea does one have of a lion in a
menagerie and one in its free and native state. Why, the menagerie
lions can't roar at all; they are nothing but over grown cats, compared
to the lion of the desert."

"That is very true," observed Swinton; "however, I am delighted, for now
I have not only my gemsbok, which is a gem above price, but also as fine
a lion as I have ever seen. I should like to have them stuffed and set
up just as they were before Alexander killed them. His rage and agony
combined were most magnificent. After all, the lion is the king of the
beasts. Bremen, send Swanevelt to the caravan for some of the men. I
must have both skin and skeleton of the antelope, and the skin of the
lion."

Our travellers were quite satisfied with the sport of the day, and after
waiting for some time, while the Hottentots disentangled the animals and
took off the skins, they returned to the caravan, Omrah having secured a
portion of the flesh of the gemsbok for their supper.

As they were returning, they observed a herd of buffaloes at a great
distance, and proposed to themselves the hunting of them after they had
halted o