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 sprawling on the fore-tongue of the waggon, it occurred to me that he would look uncommonly well in a cage.  He stood there by the carcass of poor Kaptein, and deliberately disembowelled him as neatly as a butcher could have done.  All this while I dared not move, for he kept lifting his head and keeping an eye on me as he licked his bloody chops.  When he had cleared Kaptein out he opened his mouth and roared, and I am not exaggerating when I say that the sound shook the waggon.  Instantly there came back an answering roar.

“‘Heavens!’ I thought, ‘there is his mate.’