The Lion 1 1 1 



" Finding matters in this very critical state, it became 

 necessary for him to risk everything. Leaning, therefore, 

 over the back of the howdah, and clinging to it with one 

 hand, he with the other discharged his rifle, a very heavy 

 one, at the head of the lion (the piece at the time oscillat- 

 ing, or swinging, in a manner corresponding with the roll 

 of the elephant), and as luck would have it, the ball, after 

 crashing through the beast's jawbone, subsequently trav- 

 ersed the whole length of its body. 



" This caused the lion to let go his hold, and for a few 

 seconds he appeared to be partially paralyzed, but recover- 

 ing himself, he slowly retreated towards the thicker cover." 



Subsequently he was again attacked by the party, and 

 in two or three instances charged them as gallantly as 

 ever ; but as he was always received with a heavy fire, an 

 end was at length put to his existence. 



There is no need to add much to what has been said of 

 the effect produced by inherited and personal experience. 

 Nobody denies that lions are possessed of intelligence, and 

 this being the case, they learn to avoid known dangers, 

 and to take advantage of those conditions which have pre- 

 viously proved favorable. If this and what it implies were 

 not true, there could be but one reason for it, which is that 

 the race was congenitally idiotic. Therefore to dispute 

 about the lion's courage as if there might be archetypal 

 beasts differently endowed from those representatives of 

 their species which naturally, and of necessity, vary in 

 boldness with changing environments, appears to be a 

 waste of time. Furthermore, the possession of power of 

 any kind to a great degree determines its exercise, and it is 



