NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



quietly retreated. A friend, who is a Government 

 official in Zululand, was out quail- shooting when, 

 suddenly, out of some long grass a lion sprang up, 

 and stood for some moments glaring and growling 

 at the terrified quail-shooter, whose past ill-deeds 

 were doubtless flashing with lightning rapidity 

 through his mind, as is popularly supposed to be the 

 case when a man is in deadly peril and momentarily 

 expecting death. What is more likely, he was too 

 paralysed with fear to have any thoughts at all. 

 However, the lion made off at a lumbering gallop, 

 and thus gave the poor fellow a chance to reform his 

 ways. 



One of the Zululand magistrates some years 

 ago captured two lion cubs. The mother, instead 

 of boldly defending her young ones, made off into 

 the bush. These cubs, when half -grown, were as 

 tame as domestic kittens. They were eventually 

 sent to the Pretoria Zoo in charge of the young man 

 who had been in the habit of looking after them. 

 Whenever he outspanned he used to give them their 

 liberty. On one of these occasions his companion 

 shot a bushbuck and deposited it at the other wagon, 

 a quarter of a mile from where the lions were. The 

 breeze presently changed, the lion cubs scented game, 

 and immediately crouched with their noses elevated, 

 and carefully crept in the direction of the buck. 

 When within a short distance they made a terrific 

 rush and sprang upon the body. With considerable 

 difficulty their caretaker persuaded them to relin- 



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