110 THE LION. 



spring out to meet them, open-mouthed in the plain, 

 like the boldest of all animals, a mastiff dog. They 

 are thus generally shot with very little trouble ; but 

 if they are missed or only slightly wounded, they are 

 truly formidable enemies. Though not swift, they 

 leap with vast strength and violence, and their large 

 heads, immense paws, and the great weight of their 

 body forward, often enables them to spring on the 

 head of the largest elephants, and fairly pull them to 

 the ground, riders and all." 



Lion-hunting is a much more casual sport in In- 

 dia than in Africa ; the numbers of the tiger afford a 

 good substitute, and a description of the pursuit of 

 that animal, which we have given with its history, 

 will convey an idea of the chase of the lion ; they 

 are attended with the same hair-breadth escapes, and 

 exciting adventure, the same mixed array of noise 

 and followers. We shall only add a single anecdote 

 from the above mentioned sketches. It illustrates a 

 situation in which the hunters of wild beasts may 

 occasionally find themselves placed. 



" A lion having chased my hero's elephant, and he 

 having wounded him, was in the act of leaning for- 

 ward in order to fire another shot, when the front of 

 the houdah suddenly gave way, and he was precipi- 

 tated over the head of the elephant into the very 

 jaws of the furious beast. The lion, though severely 

 hurt, immediately seized him, and would, doubtU s, 

 shortly have put a fatal termination to the conflict, 

 had not the elephant, urged by the mahout, stepped 



