"Which I vote we do now. I think we have done quite enough for to-day."
"Yes, indeed," replied the Major, mounting his horse; "enough to talk of all our lives. Now let us gallop home, and say nothing about having killed the lions until the Hottentots bring them to the caravan."
CHAPTER XXV.
"Well, what sport have you had?" was Swinton's first question when he was joined by Alexander and the Major. Replied the latter—"Pretty well; we saw an antelope quite new to us, which we tried very hard to shoot, but were prevented by an unexpected meeting with a lioness." The Major then gave an account of his perceiving the tail of the lioness, and his rapid retreat.
"I am very glad to hear that you were so prudent, Major; it would have been a very rash thing to attack a lioness with only three guns. So the antelopes escaped?"
"Yes, but we have the elands, which you say are such good eating. Do we stay here any longer, or do we proceed up the river?"
"You must ask Wilmot to decide that point," said Swinton.
"It is just as you please," said Alexander; "but they say that the more you go to the northward, the more plentiful is the game."