290 LION-HUNTING AND LIONS 



one of the animals sitting on a rock behind a small bash, 

 and this time Livingstone resolved to take the law into 

 his own hands, and not to trust to the Bechuanas. 

 When thirty yards distant, he fired both barrels at the 

 sitting lion, straight through the bush, and heard a cry 

 of triumph from the natives. The lion might be shot, but 

 he certainly was not dead, for his tail stood up in a 

 threatening way. Thinking that the men would run 

 forward before it was safe, and would attract the notice of 

 the wounded beast, Livingstone called out to them to 

 stop till he could reload his gun. He was just putting in 

 the charge, when a cry caused him to look round. The 

 lion was in the air, close to him. In sweeping by he 

 seized the missionary's shoulder between his teeth, and 

 brought him to the ground from the hummock on which 

 he was standing, growling and shaking him all the while. 

 After the first moment, Livingstone felt nothing. He lay 

 still as if in a dream, not even frightened as to what was 

 coming next, and quite unconscious of any pain ; but 

 gazing at the lion who stood above him, keeping his 

 great paw on the head of his prey. From the position 

 of the lion's eyes, Livingstone at once guessed that he 

 was watching the schoolmaster Mebalwe, who, braver 

 than his fellows, was trying to shoot him with a clumsy 

 old gun, from a distance of fifteen yards. Both barrels 

 missed, and with a roar the lion let go Livingstone and 

 leapt upon Mebalwe, whom he caught by the thigh. On 

 this a man thrust a spear into the lion from behind, and 

 was instantly seized by the shoulder ; but the bullets 

 which were poured into the brute from other quarters 

 now took effect, and the great beast fell back stone dead. 

 In the excitement of the battle, which, after all, had 

 lasted only a few moments, the wounded men had hardly 

 been aware of pain ; but when they were all satisfied 

 that their enemy was really dead, they began to examine 

 their injuries. Livingstone had been partly saved by 

 his jacket, which had received most of the poison of the 





