fix a reim round his legs, and haul him up. By
the time I had done this the sun was down, and the full moon was up, and
a beautiful moon it was. And then there came down that wonderful hush
which sometimes falls over the African bush in the early hours of the
night. No beast was moving, and no bird called. Not a breath of air
stirred the quiet trees, and the shadows did not even quiver, they only
grew. It was very oppressive and very lonely, for there was not a sign
of the cattle or the boys. I was quite thankful for the society of old
Kaptein, who was lying down contentedly against the disselboom, chewing
the cud with a good conscience.

"Presently, however, Kaptein began to get restless. First he snorted,
then he got up and snorted again. I could not make it out, so like a
fool I got down off the waggon-box to have a look round, thinking it
might be the lost oxen coming.

"Next instant I regretted it, for all of a sudden I heard a roar and saw
something yellow flash past me and light on poor Kaptein. Then came
a bellow of agony from the ox, and a crunch as the lion put his teeth
through the poor brute's neck, and I began to realize what had happened.
My rifle was in the waggon, and my first thought being to get hold of
it, I turned and made a bolt for it. I got my foot on the wheel and
flung my body forward on to the waggon, and there I stopped as if I were
frozen, and no wonder, for as I was about to spring up I heard the lion
behind me, and next second I felt the brute, ay, as plainly as I can
feel this table. I felt him, I say, sniffing at my left leg that was
hanging down.

"My word! I did feel queer; I don't think that I ever felt so queer
before. I dared not move for the life of me, and the odd thing was
that I seemed to lose power over my leg, which had an insane sort of
inclination to kick out of its own mere motion--just as hysterical
people want to laugh when they ought to be particularly solemn. Well,
the lion sniffed and sniffed, beginning at my ankle and slowly nosing
away up to my thigh. I thought that he was going to get hold then, but
he did not. He only growled softly, and went back to the ox. Shifting my
head a little I got a full view of him. He was about the biggest lion
I ever saw, and I have seen a great many, and he had a most tremendous
black mane. What his teeth were like you can see--look there, pretty big
ones, ain't they? Altogether he was a magnificent animal, and as I lay
there sprawli