ltures had not killed them! What then?

Von Bloom did not ask many questions. He was not left long in doubt. As
he and his companions rode over the ground, the mystery was explained.
The tracks of lions, hyenas, and jackals, made everything clear enough.
A large troop of these animals had been upon the ground. The scarcity of
game, caused by the migration of the locusts, had no doubt rendered them
more than usually ravenous, and in consequence the cattle became their
prey.

Where were they now? The morning light, and the sight of the house
perhaps, had driven them off. But their spoor was quite fresh. They were
near at hand, and would be certain to return again upon the following
night.

Von Bloom felt a strong desire to be revenged upon the hideous brutes;
and, under other circumstances, would have remained to get a shot at
them. But just then that would have been both imprudent and unprofitable
work. It would be as much as their horses could accomplish, to get back
to camp that night; so, without even entering the old house, they
watered their animals, refilled their calabashes at the spring, and with
heavy hearts once more rode away from the kraal.

CHAPTER IX.

A LION COUCHANT.

They had not proceeded an hundred steps when an object appeared before
them that caused all three to draw bridle suddenly and simultaneously.
That object was a lion!

He was couched upon the plain directly in the path they intended to
take--the very same path by which they had come!

How was it they had not seen him before? He was under the lee of a low
bush; but, thanks to the locusts, this bush was leafless, and its thin
naked twigs formed no concealment for so large a creature as a lion. His
tawny hide shone conspicuously through them.

The truth is, he had not been there when the horsemen passed towards the
kraal. He had just fled from among the carcasses, on seeing them
approach; and had skulked around the walls, and then run to their rear.
He had executed this manoeuvre to avoid an encounter--for a lion reasons
as a man does, though not to the same extent. Seeing the horsemen come
that way, his reasoning powers were strong enough to tell him that they
were not likely to return by the same path. It was more natural they
should continue on. A man, ignorant of all the preceding events
connected with their journey, would have reasoned much in the same way.
If you have been at all observant, you have seen other animals--s