LIONS, 171 



their attacks upon man ; for from the moment they 

 obtain the mastery, they worry and tear their victim 

 as long as life remains in it. On the contrary, animals 

 of the cat tribe, having once overcome their prey, cease 

 for a time to inflict further injury upon it. Thus, 

 during the momentous intervals from the stroke which 

 has laid a man beneath a lion to the time when a lion 

 shall begin to devour him, the man may have it in his 

 power to rise again, either by his own exertions, or by 

 the fortunate intervention of an armed friend. But 

 then all depends upon quiet on the part of the man, until 

 he plunges his dagger into the heart of the animal ; for 

 if he tries to resist, he is sure to feel the force of his 

 adversary's claws and teeth with redoubled vengeance. 

 Many years ago, Colonel Duff, in India, was laid low 

 by the stroke of a Bengal tiger. On coming to him- 

 self, he found the animal standing over him. Recol- 

 lecting that he had his dirk by his side, he drew it out 

 of the case in the most cautious manner possible, and 

 by one happy thrust quite through the heart he laid 

 the tiger dead at his side. 



The particular instance, however, to which Mr. 

 Waterton alludes, and which was told him by the par- 

 ties themselves, I now briefly give. The weather was 

 intolerably sultry. After vainly spending a consider- 

 able time in creeping through the grass and bushes, 

 with the hope of discovering the place of the lion's 

 retreat, they (the party) concluded that he had passed 

 quite through the jungle and gone off in an opposite 

 direction. Resolved not to let their game escape, Lieu- 

 tenants Delamain and Lang returned to the elephant, 

 and immediately proceeded round the jungle, expecting 

 to discover the route which they conjectured the lion 



