"In their symbolical way they
are only signifying that you will feed them with the milk of human
kindness," a reply which did not soothe her at all. In fact, of the
three the child alone was pleased, because she said that "Opening
Flower" was a prettier name than Tabbie, which reminded her of cats.
Thenceforward, following a track, for it could not be called a road,
they advanced slowly, first over a mountain pass on the farther side of
which the wagon nearly upset, and then across a great bush-clad plain
where there was much game and the lions roared round them at night,
necessitating great fires to frighten them away. These lions terrified
Dorcas, a town-bred woman who had never seen one of them except in the
Zoo, so much that she could scarcely sleep, but oddly enough Tabitha was
not disturbed by them.
"God will not let us be eaten by a lion, will He, Father?" she asked in
her simple faith.
"Certainly not," he answered, "and if the brute tries to do so I shall
shoot it."
"I'd rather trust to God, Father, because you know you can never hit
anything," replied Tabitha.
Fortunately, however, it never became necessary for Thomas to show his
skill as a marksman, for when they got through the bushveld there were
no more lions.
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