THE LION.

country, they would have speared the lions in their attempt
to get out. Seeing that we could not get them to kill one
of the lions, we bent our footsteps towards the village; in
going round the end of the hill, however, I saw one of the
beasts sitting on a piece of rock,#as before, but this time he
had a little bush in front. Being about thirty yards off, I
took a good aim at his body through the bush, and fired
both barrels into in. The men then called out: ‘He is shot!
He is shot!’ Others cried: ‘He has been shot by another
man, too; let us goto him.’ I did not see anyone else shoot
at him, but I saw the lion’s tail erected in anger behind the
bush, and turning to the people, said: ‘Stop a little till I load
again.’ When in the act of ramming down the bullets I heard
a shout. Starting, and looking half round, I saw the lion just
in the act of springing upon me. I was upon a little height.
He caught my shoulder as he sprang and we both came
to the ground below together. Growling horribly, close to my
ear, he shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock
produced a stupor, similar to that which seems to be felt by

- a mouse after the first shake of a cat. It caused a sort of

dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain or feeling
of terror, though quite conscious of all that was happening.
It was like what patients partially under the influence
of chloroform describe, who see all the operation but feel
not the knife. This singular condition was not the result of
any mental process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed
no sense of horror in looking round at the beast. This
peculiar state is probably produced in all animals killed by
the carnivora; and, if so, is a merciful provision by our
benevolent Creator for lessening the pain of death. Turing
round to relieve myself of the weight, as he had one paw
on the back of my head, I saw his eyes directed to Mebalwe,
who was trying to shoot him at a distance of ten or fifteen
yards, His gun, a flint one, missed fire in both barrels.
The lion immediately left me and attacking Mebalwe bit his