da 
THE LION, 41 
and alighting gracefully. His next feat was to repeat the leaps 
through the hoop and barrel with the paper set on fire; this he 
evidently disliked, but with some coaxinz went through each. 
The animals were now all fed, but the Lion had not yet com- 
pleted his share in the night’s entertainment, and was required 
to show his forbearance by parting with his food. The keeper 
entered the cage and took it repeatedly from him, no further 
resistance than a short clutch and a growl was expressed. His 
countenance had, however, lost its serenity, and how long his 
good temper would have continued, is doubtful.” 
The following account of Lions in Gujrat, in pre-Mutiny 
days, is given by General W. Rice, in his book entitled ‘“ In- 
dian Game.” The General writes that on one occasion ‘ when 
passing a village near which we had hunted the previous year, 
the people begged me earnestly to wait while their young men 
ran off to mark down any sleeping Lions. It seems that after 
killing several cattle belonging to the place, an old Lion would 
every evening come out of the forest and lie down, stretched 
out on a large piece of flat stone or sheet-rock close to the vil- 
lage ; presently he would look round, when a Lioness used to 
follow and lie down by his side; she again was followed by 
another young half-grown Lion, and there the three would 
wait. At last one of the men, with the rest of the populace 
behind him, took a steady kneeling shot with a matchlock 
at the old Lion, but somehow missed or merely grazed him, 
for the Lion thereupon bounded forward, and after nearly 
pulling the marksman’s head off, retreated to the woods with 
his mate and cub. 
“ Formerly Lions were far more plentiful in this part of the 
country, and used to live more in the open plains. A cavalry 
‘officer a good many years ago told me he had shot eighty Lions 
in this province in three years, using well-trained horses for the 
purpose, and following them over the open country. 
