66 ADVENTURE WITH A LION. 



him. This irritated the mighty lord of the woods, and he rushed 

 towards him, breaking through the bushes (to use the captain's 

 own words) "in most magnificent style." Captain Woodhouse 

 now found himself placed in an awkward situation. He was 

 aware that if he retraced his steps, in order to put himself in a 

 better position for attack, he would just get to the point from 

 which the lieutenant had fired, and to which tlie lion was making : 

 wherefore, he instantly resolved to stand still, in the hopes that 

 the lion would pass by, at a distance of four yards or so, without 

 perceiving him, as the intervening cover was thick and strong. 

 In this, however, he was most unfortunately deceived ; for the 

 enraged lion saw him in passing, and Hew at him vvitli a dreadful 

 roar. In an instant, as though it had been done by a stroke of 

 lightning, the rifle was broken and thrown out of tlie captain's 

 hand, his left arm, at the same moment, being seized by the claws, 

 and his right by the teeth of his desperate antagonist. Wliile 

 these two brave and sturdy combatants, " whose courage none 

 could stain," were yet standing in mortal conflict. Lieutenant 

 Delamain ran up, and discharged his piece full at the lion. This 

 caused the lion and the captain to come to the ground together, 

 wliile Lieutenant Delamain hastened out of the jungle to reload 

 his gun. The lion now began to craunch the captain*s arm ; but 

 as the brave fellow, notwithstanding the pain which this horrid 

 process caused, had the cool determined resolution to lie still, the 

 the lordly savage let t,he arm drop out of his mouth, and quietly 

 placed himself in a couching position, witli both his paws upon 

 the thigh of his fallen foe. While things were in this untoward 

 situation, the captain, unthinkingly, raised his hand to support 

 his head, which had got placed ill at ease in the fall. No sooner, 

 however, had he moved it, than the lion seized the lacerated arm 

 a second time ; craunched it, as before, and fractured the bone 

 siill higher up. This additional memento mori from the lion was, 

 not lost upon Captain Woodhouse ; it immediately put him in 

 mind that he had committed an act of imprudence in stirring. 

 The motionless ^te in which he persevered after this broad hint 

 showed that he had learned to profit by the painful lesson. 



He now lay bleeding and disabled, under the foot of a mighty 

 and an irritated enemy. Death was close upon him, armed with 

 every terror calculated to appal the heart of a prostrate and 

 defenceless man. Just as this world, with all its flitting honours 

 was on the point of vanishing for ever, he heard two faint reports 

 of a gun, which he thought sounded from a distance; but he was 



