160 HUNTING ADVENTURES. 



retire at such a moment would be lost forever in the estimation of 

 his tribe. 



He who has spoken takes some steps in advance, and, deliberately 

 taking aim, fires. Perhaps his shot goes home, and then the rest of 

 the party rushing in, complete the slaughter of the beast. Perhapa 

 he misses his aim, and the lion, rightly interpreting the design of the 

 shot, becomes himself the assailant, and springs forward in a rage on 

 his foes. Now the panic becomes universal ; there is an indiscrimi- 

 nate flight, a few only, perhaps, reaching ambush, and discharging 

 their weapons from their hiding-places. 



If the enemy succeed in making a capture of one of his assailants 

 (and this happens almost as a matter of course,) his deliverance may 

 generally be effected by one of the horsemen rallying, and, at a proper 

 distance firing. The lion will quit his prisoner to resent this new 

 attack, and thus give his terrified prey an opportunity of escape, 

 whilst he himself, exhausted in the fruitless pursuit of horses, to 

 whom fear has lent wings, crouches down and awaits-death upon the 

 spot. This is the critical moment. The scattered riders rapidly come 

 up ; an irregular fire is opened ; the lion receives, without moving, 

 numerous balls discharged at the distance of eighty or a hundred 

 paces ; but if any one more venturous approaches much nearer than 

 this, the monster at once rouses himself, and either rider is torn from 

 his saddle, or both rider and horse roll in the dust, and perish together. 

 " I have se.en many Arabs," says Gerard, " who have been seized by 

 lions, and have escaped at the commencement of an affray ; but who- 

 ever has the mischance to fall into the hands of one in whose body 

 a dozen bullets have been lodged, is quickly torn to pieces. You may 

 approach him near enough then to put the muzzle of your musket 

 in his ear, and he will die before he will release his prey." 



Gerard was often questioned a^ to his exploits by the Arabs amongst 

 whom he fell, and to whose tents his fame had been carried. " How 

 is it possible," they would say, " that alone, and in the darkness of 

 night, you have been able to slay lions (unless you are something 

 more than a man,) when we experience so much difficulty, and en- 

 counter so many perils, in despatching one on horseback and in open 

 day, even after we have wounded him with eighty balls, and have 



