A REMARKABLE CASE.

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young man drawing near with a gun, he took to mis heels, and the man firing a charge of loose powder after him, increased his terror, and made him bound into the marsh, and flee to the opposite side, thinking himself well off to have escaped with his life, which he could not have expected from his own countrymen. He lived for a time at a neighbouring village, where he was wont to describe in graphic style his narrow escape, and how he had outrun the musket-ball. When told by some one that the gun was only to frighten him, he saw that it must have been so; he reasoned on our character, made inquiries, and, from our men sparing him in the first instance, and ourselves giving him food, and allowing him to run off after he had received a few strokes with a thong, he concluded that there must be something very merciful about our character; and at last he made his appearance again on our station. He was soon after employed as a labourer, embraced the Gospel, and has, through Divine grace, continued to make a consistent profession, and is becoine an example of intelligence, industry, and love.

CHAPTER XXVII.

In the end of the year 1826, having removed into our new habitation, and the state of the country being somewhat more tranquil, a journey was resolved on to the Barolongs, near the Molapo, in order to attend exclusively to the language which hitherto it had not been possible to do, owing to the succession of manual labour connected with commencing a new station, when the missionaries must be at the beginning, middle, and end of every thing. Mr. Hamilton, who felt that his advanced age was a serious barrier to his acquisition of the language, was anxious for my progress, and cheerfully undertook the entire labours of the station for a short season, preaching to the Batlapis in the neighbourhood, and keeping up public service for the few on the station. Two attempts had been previously made for this very pur pose, but I had not long left the place before, in both instances, I was recalled on account of threatened attacks. As

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AN INTERVIEW WITH LIONS.

it was taking a new position among a wild people, a brief glance at my manner of life may yield information, and interest the mind of the reader.

Having put my wagon in order, taken a driver, and a little boy as leader of the oxen, and two Barolongs, who were going to the same place, I left the station, my wife and family, for an absence of two or three months. Our journey lay over a wild and dreary country, inhabited by Balalas only, and but a sprinkling of these. sprinkling of these. On the night of the third day's journey, having halted at a pool (Khokhole,) we listened, on the lonely plain, for the sound of an inhabitant, but all was silent. We could discover no lights, and, amid the darkness were unable to trace footmarks to the pool. We let loose our wearied oxen to drink and graze, but as we were ignorant of the character of the company with which we might have to spend the night, we took a firebrand, and examined the edges of the pool to see, from the imprints, what animals were in the habit of drinking there, and, with terror, discovered many spoors of lions. We immediately collected the oxen, and brought them to the wagon, to which we fastened them with the strongest thongs we had, having discovered in their appearance something rather wild, indicating that either from scent or sight, they knew danger was near. The two Barolongs had brought a young cow with them, and though I recommended their making her fast also, they very humorously replied that she was too wise to leave the wagon and oxen, even though a lion should be scented. We took a little supper, which was followed by our evening hymn, and prayer. I had retired only a few minutes to my wagon to prepare for the night, when the whole of the oxen started to their feet.

A lion had seized the cow only a few steps from their tails, and dragged it to the distance of thirty or forty yards, where we distinctly heard it tearing the animal, and breaking the bones, while its bellowings were most pitiful. When these were over, I seized my gun, but as it was too dark to see any object at half the distance, I aimed at the spot where the devouring jaws of the lion were heard. I fired again and again, to which he replied with tremendous roars, at the same time making a rush towards the wagon, so as exceedingly to terrify the oxen. The two Barolongs engaged to take firebrands, advance a few yards, and throw them at him, so as to afford me a degree of light, that I might take aim, the place being bushy. They had scarcely discharged them from their hands, when the flame went out, and the

enraged animal rushed towards them with such swiftness, that I had barely time to turn the gun and fire between the men and the lion, and providentially the ball struck the ground immediately under his head, as we found by examination the following morning. From this surprise he returned, growling dreadfully. The men darted through some thorn-bushes with countenances indicative of the utmost terror. It was now the opinion of all that we had better let him alone if he did not molest us.

Having but a scanty supply of wood to keep up a fire, one man crept among the bushes on one side of the pool, while I proceeded for the same purpose on the other side. I had not gone far, when, looking upward to the edge of the small basin, I discerned between me and the sky four animals, whose attention appeared to be directed to me, by the noise I made in breaking a dry stick. On closer inspection, I found that the large, round, hairy-headed visitors were lions; and retreated on my hands and feet towards the other side of the pool, when coming to my wagon-driver, to inform him of our danger, I found him looking, with no little alarm, in an opposite direction, and with good reason, as no fewer than two lions, with a cub, were eyeing us both, apparently as uncertain about us as we were distrustful of them. They appeared, as they always do in the dark, twice the usual size. We thankfully decamped to the wagon, and sat down to keep alive our scanty fire, while we listened to the lion tearing and devouring his prey. When any of the other hungry lions dared to approach, he would pursue them for some paces, with a horrible howl, which made our poor oxen tremble, and produced anything but agreeable sensations in ourselves. We had reason for alarm, lest any of the six lions fearless of our small fire, might rush in among us. The two Barolongs were grudging the lion his fat meal, and would now and then break the silence with a deep sigh, and expressions of regret that such a vagabond lion should have such a feast on their cow, which they anticipated would have afforded them many a draught of luscious milk. Before the day dawned, having deposited nearly the whole of the carcase in his stomach, he collected the head, backbone, parts of the legs, the paunch, which he emptied of its contents, and the two clubs which had been thrown at him, and walked off, leaving nothing but some fragments of bones, and one of my balls, which had hit the carcase instead of himself.

we saw,

When it was light we examined the spot, and found, from

the foot-marks that the lion was a large one, and had devoured the cow himself. I had some difficulty in believing this, but was fully convinced by the Barolongs pointing out to me that the foot-marks of the other lions had not come within thirty yards of the spot, two jackals only had ap proached to lick up any little leavings. The men pursued the spoor to find the fragments, where the lion had deposited them, while he retired to a thicket to sleep during the day. I had often heard how much a large, hungry lion would eat, but nothing less than a demonstration would have convinced me that it was possible for him to have eaten all the flesh of a good heifer, and many of the bones, for scarcely a rib was left, and even some of the marrow-bones were broken as if with a hammer.

Having discovered a small village on a neighbouring height, although it was the Sabbath, we thought it quite right and lawful to inyoke our oxen, and leave a spot haunted with something worse than ghosts. When we told our tale to the natives, they expressed no surprise whatever, but only regretted that the lion should have had such a feast, while they were so hungry. These people were, as their name "Balala signifies, poor indeed, and never before having either seen or heard a missionary, they exhibited melancholy proofs of human depravity and palpable ignoI talked long to them, to convince them that there was something else beyond eating and drinking, which ought to command our attention. This was to them inexplicable, while the description I gave of the character of God, and our sinful and helpless condition, amused them only, and extorted some expressions of sympathy, that a Khosi king, as they called me, should talk such foolishness.

rance.

Leaving this village, after travelling for two days in a N. N. E. direction over a plain country, passing Mothothobo, and other dry river beds, where one would suppose water had not flowed for the last thousand years, we reached Choaing as it is called, from Lechoai, (salt,) and halted at the village of Bogachu, a Barolong chief, a very intelligent young man, with whom I had some previous acquaintance. At this place, and at Setabeng about twenty miles distant, where a great number of Barolongs and Batlaros dwelt, I spent ten weeks attending to the language. There was certainly neither personal comfort, nor pleasure to be had during my stay, being compelled to live a semi-savage life, among heathenish dance and song, and immeasurable heaps of dirt and filth. It was not a proper town, but a compara

COMPANY AND ASSISTANCE.

305

tively temporary abode, to which the people had fled from the attacks made on the Batlapis by Jacob Cloete and his followers. People in this situation, and indeed all living a nomade life, become extremely filthy in their habits. My object being to obtain as much native society as possible, to which they had not the shadow of an objection, I was necessarily, while sitting with them at their work in their folds and inclosures, exposed to myriads of very unpleasant company, which made the night worse than the day. The people were kind, and my blundering in the language gave rise to many bursts of laughter. Never in one instance, would an individual correct a word or sentence, till he or she had mimicked the original so effectually, as to give great merriment to others. They appeared delighted with my company, especially as I could, when meat was scarce, take my gun and shoot a rhinoceros, or some other animal, when a night of feasting and talking, as if they had had a barrel of spirits among them, would follow. They thought themselves quite lucky in having such company, as one, who could supply them occasionally with both food and medicine.

Bogachu, whom I might call my host, daily allowed me a little milk for tea. He was an interesting character, and though not tall had great dignity about his person, as well as much politeness of manner. As the people had no gardens, the women had very little to do, and they considered it quite a luxury, to spend a couple of hours in noisy and often deafening conversation at my wagon. Every opportunity was gladly embraced in which I could impart instruction to the people of the different villages around, which were inhabited by Barolongs, Bamairis, and some Bahurutsi refugees from Kurrechane. My preaching and speaking did indeed appear to be casting seed by the wayside or on the flinty rock, while they would gravely ask, if I were in earnest, and believed that there was such a Being as I described. It was indeed painful to hear them turning the theme of man's redemption and the Cross into ridicule, and making a sport of immortality.

The people, to please me, would assemble on the Sabbath, as I told them I could not be happy without telling them about their souls and another world. One day, while describing the day of judgment, several of my hearers expressed great concern at the idea of all their cattle being destroyed, together with their ornaments. They never for one moment allow their thoughts to dwell on death, which is according to their views nothing less than annihilation.