LIONS 25 



gun bearer had seen, and he had neglected to 

 throw back the safety catch. Before the hunter 

 could rectify the mistake the lion bowled him 

 over and knocked the rifle from his hands. The 

 gun bearer snatched it up and tried to fire. 

 Then, with wonderful courage and presence of 

 mind for an African native, he rushed to the 

 struggling pair and, holding the gun over his 

 master, shouted: "Master, fix this gun; it won't 

 work!" The lion was chewing the man's left 

 arm, but he managed to reach out with his free 

 hand and throw off the safety catch, and the 

 gun bearer shot the animal through the head. 



The Englishman was badly mauled. He was 

 in the hospital for several weeks and nearly 

 succumbed to blood-poisoning, but finally es- 

 caped with a few ugly scars and a crippled left 

 arm. 



It is a well-known fact among professional lion- 

 hunters that the lioness is more to be feared than 

 her mate. She is far more willing to charge 

 even though she may not be wounded. When a 

 pair of lions is found, the female, therefore, is the 

 one that old lion-hunters kill first. 



A charging lion is, to my mind, the most noble 

 and at the same time the most awe-inspiring 



