The Numbers Of Large Game Above Libonta Are Prodigious, And They Proved
Remarkably Tame.
Eighty-one buffaloes defiled in slow procession
before our fire one evening, within gunshot; and herds of splendid elands
Stood by day, without fear, at two hundred yards distance.
They were all of the striped variety, and with their forearm markings,
large dewlaps, and sleek skins, were a beautiful sight to see. The lions here
roar much more than in the country near the lake, Zouga, and Chobe.
One evening we had a good opportunity of hearing the utmost exertions
the animal can make in that line. We had made our beds on a large sand-bank,
and could be easily seen from all sides. A lion on the opposite shore
amused himself for hours by roaring as loudly as he could,
putting, as is usual in such cases, his mouth near the ground,
to make the sound reverberate. The river was too broad
for a ball to reach him, so we let him enjoy himself,
certain that he durst not have been guilty of the impertinence
in the Bushman country. Wherever the game abounds, these animals exist
in proportionate numbers. Here they were very frequently seen,
and two of the largest I ever saw seemed about as tall as common donkeys;
but the mane made their bodies appear rather larger.
A party of Arabs from Zanzibar were in the country at this time.
Sekeletu had gone from Naliele to the town of his mother before we arrived
from the north, but left an ox for our use, and instructions for us
to follow him thither.
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