of the lion's voice;
indeed, the events I have described occupied less time than I have taken
to write them. The boys now employed themselves in collecting the
trembling animals, who had not yet recovered from the fright which the
appearance of their dread enemy had given them. The little koodoo and
zebra had, however, been safe in their pen, or they would probably have
run off, and we should have seen no more of them.

"I did not fancy that a lion could have leaped so high a palisade," said
David; "but I see we must take other measures to secure our camp for the
future. I believe that even a lion cannot break through an enclosure of
prickly-pear, and I propose that as soon as Stanley comes back we all
set to work to surround our camp with a thick line of it; and if we
fasten a fringe of its sharp leaves to the top of our fence, we shall be
able to bid defiance to either lion or leopard. I doubt, indeed, if
elephants, or even human beings, would willingly assail such a
fortification as ours will then be."

I fully agreed with David, and we settled that we would immediately set
to work and collect the cactus plants which grew in abundance on the
hill-side.

"They will be very hungry when they do come back," said Kate, "and
therefore, Bella, you and I will prepare breakfast for them forthwith."

David and I assisted them in getting the repast ready, and our anxiety
was shortly relieved by Leo running in exclaiming that Stanley and all
hands were coming up the hill. "They have got no end of game," he
added--"birds and beasts enough to feed us all for a month to come, if
we were in Siberia and could freeze the meat and keep it till we want
it, instead of being in the middle of Africa. Unless we can salt it
pretty quickly, however, it will not be fit for much by to-morrow
morning."

Having thus delivered himself, he ran out again, and down the hill. In
a short time our friends arrived, pretty well tired out, however, for
they had been to a long distance, and found it impossible to reach home
the night they had intended. They had therefore encamped a few miles
off, and started again at dawn. The shots we had heard had, as we
supposed, been fired by them to give us notice of their approach. They
had pushed on without stopping for breakfast, and were duly grateful to
Kate and Bella for enabling them thus speedily to satisfy their hunger.

Stanley said he had a long account to give us of their adventures. They