6. THE LION AND THE BUSHMAN.

[A TALE.]

Sir James E. Alexander's "Expedition of Discovery into the Interior of Africa," vol. ii. p. 51.)

USHMAN was, on one occasion, following a troop ebras, and had just succeeded in wounding one his arrows, when a Lion sprang out from a et opposite, and showed every inclination to disthe prize with him. The Bushman being near nvenient tree, threw down his arms, and climbed safety to an upper branch. The Lion, allowing wounded zebra to pass on, now turned his whole ntion towards the Bushman, and walking round round the tree, he ever and anon growled and ked up at him. At length the Lion lay down at foot of the tree, and kept watch all night. Tords morning sleep overcame the hitherto wakeful shman, and he dreamt that he had fallen into the on's mouth. Starting from the effects of his dream, lost his hold, and, falling from the branch, he

alighted heavily on the Lion; on which the monster, thus unexpectedly saluted, ran off with a loud roar, and the Bushman, also taking to his heels in a different direction, escaped in safety.

in-law answered, "Umph! things are said by the wife of my eldest son, which she never said before."

Thereupon the Elephant, who had been in the field, arrived, and smelling something, rubbed against the house. "Ha," said his wife, "what I should not have done formerly, I do now. On what day did you slaughter a wether for me?" Then the mother-inlaw said to him: "As she says things which she did not say (before), do it now."

In this manner a wether was slaughtered (for her), which she roasted whole, and then, in the same night (after supper), asked her mother-in-law the following questions:-"How do you breathe when you sleep the sleep of life? (light sleep, half-conscious.) And how when you sleep the sleep of death ?" (deep sleep.) Then the mother-in-law said, "Umph, an evening full of conversation! When we sleep the sleep of death, we breathe thus: 'sũi sui !' and when we sleep the sleep of life we breathe thus: Xou !áwaba! Xou !áwaba!' ''*

Thus the wife made everything right whilst they fell asleep. Then she listened to their snoring, and

* X is the German ch, and the cerebral click of the Hottentot language, which is "sounded by sending up the tip of the tongue against the roof of the palate, and withdrawing it forcibly and suddenly."-TINDALL.

they slept thus, sui sui, she rose and said to her rothers, "The sleep of death is over them, let ake ready." They rose and went out, and she up the hut (to carry away all that she could), ook the necessary things, and said, "That thing makes any noise wills my death." So they altogether quiet.

hen her two brothers had packed up, she went them between the cattle, but she left at home cow, one ewe, and one goat, and directed them, ng to the cow, "You must not low as if you were ourself alone, if you do not wish for my death;" she taught the ewe and the goat the same. hen they departed with all the other cattle, and e who were left behind lowed during the night as hey were many, and as they lowed as if they were

all there, the Elephant thought, "They are all re." But when he rose in the morning, he saw t his wife and all the cattle were gone. Taking stick into his hands, he said to his mother, "If I I the earth will tremble." With these words he lowed them. When they saw him approaching, ey ran fast to the side, against a piece of rock (at a

Hottentot huts being merely made of skins stretched er a frame, are carried about by the people in their underings.