y his skin bottle, and Jan hurried up with his to me. I
swallowed the liquid eagerly, hot and nauseous as it was, full, I
suspect, of living creatures; but it tasted like nectar, and I half
emptied the bottle at a draught.

"Now I am ready for the venison!" cried Harry.

"So am I, indeed," said Hans; "for we haven't had anything to eat once
we left you, and are well-nigh dying of starvation."

"As we were of thirst," I remarked, handing Hans and Jan a large piece
of venison each. They devoured it eagerly, and Harry and I then turned
to and were able to eat a good meal.

"I should like to get some sleep," said Hans; "we will tell you
to-morrow of our adventures."

"We are in no hurry to hear them," said Harry; "but I tell you, one of
us must keep a watch, or we may have an unpleasant visit from a lion,
who is prowling about in the neighbourhood."

"The cowardly brute won't come near us," said Hans, drowsily. "The
chances are it was a rock you saw in the dusk, or it might have been a
jackal."

"But we heard it roar," said Harry.

"Oh, then it was a bullfrog," cried Hans, rolling himself up in his
cloak and lying down.

"Bullfrog or lion, there it is again!" exclaimed Harry, jumping up and
seizing his rifle.

There was no doubt about the matter; though the voice of an ostrich at a
distance may sound like that of a lion, the roar of the king of the
forest is unmistakable when close at hand. Even Hans was convinced, and
was quickly on his feet. It was very certain that we should get no rest
that night, unless we could dispose of the intruder. The lion-skin was
also of value, and we could not allow him to escape with impunity. We
all advanced together, resolved forthwith to shoot the brute; that we
should see him directly we had no doubt. A short distance off, between
our camp-fire and the spot whence the roar proceeded, was a pile of low
rocks, a spur from a neighbouring hill. We had just reached it, when we
caught sight of the lion who had emerged from behind a thicket a little
way ahead. He seemed at once to look upon us as his foes. Had it been
in the day-time, he would probably have slunk away; but night was his
season for activity; and, lashing his tail and again roaring loudly, he
advanced across the open space below the rocks. Now was the critical
moment: should we fail to kill him, he might make a desperate spring and
knock over one of us. It was settled, therefore, that Harry and Jan
should