brute was enjoying its banquet, so busily employed that it did not see
us. When at length it was aware of our approach it ceased feeding, and
gazed at us with its fore paws on the body of its victim, presenting a
truly magnificent spectacle.

We were near enough by this time to take a steady aim.

"Do you fire, Fred, and then reload as rapidly as you can, while I will
wait until you are ready."

"But I have no second bullet," fortunately recollecting at the moment
that I had expended all my bullets but one.

My uncle handed me a couple, and I obeyed his injunctions. My bullet
passed through the lion's thick mane and crashed into its neck.

Uttering a tremendous roar as it felt the pain, it came towards us.
Without a moment's loss of time I reloaded, fearing that, should my
uncle's bullet fail to stop it, the brute would be upon us.

Notwithstanding the lion's near approach my uncle waited, and then
fired, hitting it between the eyes. Still it advanced, but, blinded and
almost stunned, though it made a desperate bound towards us, its aim was
uncertain. My uncle sprang on one side and I on the other, when, before
I had finished loading, over it fell, and lay dead between us.

"A pretty good afternoon's sport," observed my uncle. "We'll take the
liberty of cutting a few steaks from the giraffe which this brute here
has hunted for us, and the sooner we get back to camp the better."

The chief difficulty in obtaining the steaks was in cutting through the
tough skin of the giraffe, which was almost as thick as that of a
rhinoceros. By employing our axes we soon, however, accomplished our
task, and in a few minutes reached the camp, where Jan, who had heard
our shots, had made up a large fire in expectation of any game we should
bring.

While the elephant foot was cooking we regaled ourselves on some fine
slices of giraffe meat, which assisted to stop the cravings of hunger.
All night long we were surrounded by the abominable cries of hyaenas and
jackals which were collected round the carcases of the slain animals.

It is said that they dare not touch even a dead lion, but at all events
when we went out to look the next morning the bones only of the two
animals remained.

We now once more reloaded our ox and set out northward. We remarked
that the poor creature, in spite of its long rest, looked thinner, and
in worse condition than before.

"Him tsetse do it. You see, ox die!" exclaimed Jan.

Still the