"We Left
A Village At Four O'clock In The Afternoon; And The Horse On Which I Rode
Being In Better
Condition than the others, I was considerably in advance
of the rest of the party, when the animal came to
A sudden halt, and all
my endeavours could not make him proceed. There he stood like a block of
marble, keeping his eye riveted on something that was approaching us, and
I had scarcely time to consider what it could be, when a fine antelope
bounded before me with incredible swiftness, and in the next moment two
huge lions, with mane and tail erect, crossed the path but a couple of
yards from the horse's head, almost with equal speed, and covered with
foam. A tremendous roar, which made the forest tremble, informed me in
another minute that the lions had overtaken their prey; but the
sudden - and unexpected appearance of these ferocious animals startled me
as much as it had intimidated the horse before, and I hastened back to
the party, my poor beast trembling violently the whole of the way.
Fortunately the lions, which were male and female, were so eager in the
chase that both the horse and its rider were unobserved by them,
otherwise it might have gone hard with me, for I saw not the slightest
chance of escaping. We halted in the woods that night; but fancying every
sound I heard was the roaring of a lion, I could not compose myself to
sleep."
Kiama, the next city at which they arrived, contains 80,000 inhabitants.
The king came to meet Clapperton, attended by a singular train.
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