LIONS. 173 



and discharged his piece full at the lion ; and this caused 

 the lion and the Captain to come to the ground together, 

 whilst the Lieutenant hastened out of the jungle to 

 reload his gun. The lion now began to crunch the 

 Captain's arm ; but the brave fellow, notwithstanding 

 the pain, had the cool determined resolution to lie still. 

 The lordly savage let the arm drop out of his mouth, 

 and quietly placed himself in a couching position, with 

 both his paws upon the thigh of his fallen foe. While 

 things were in this untoward situation, the Captain, un- 

 thinkingly, raised his hand to support his head, which 

 had got placed ill at ease in the fall. No sooner, how- 

 ever, had he moved it, than the lion seized the lacerated 

 arm a second time, crunched it as before, and fractured 

 the bone still higher up. This additional memento mori 

 from the lion was not lost on Captain Woodhouse ; it 

 immediately put him in mind that he had committed an 

 act of imprudence in stirring. The motionless state in 

 which he persevered after this broad hint showed that 

 he had learnt to profit by the painful lesson. 



The two Lieutenants were now hastening to his 

 assistance, and he heard the welcome sound of feet 

 approaching ; but unfortunately they were in a wrong 

 direction, as the lion was betwixt them and him. 

 Aware that, if his friends fired, the balls would hit him 

 after they had passed through the lion's body, Captain 

 Woodhouse quietly pronounced, in a low and subdued 

 tone, 4 To the other side ! to the other side ! ' Hearing 

 the voice, they looked in the direction from whence it 

 proceeded, and to their horror saw their brave comrade 

 in his utmost need. Having made a circuit, they cau- 

 tiously came up on the other side; and Lieutenant 

 Delamain, whose coolness in encounters with wild 



