THE CAT KIND. 



293 



man he first attacked an opportunity to reco- 

 In this manner they attack him on all 



ver. 



sides ; until, at last, they entirely disable, and 

 then despatch him. This superiority in the 

 numbers, and the arts of man, that are suffi- 

 cient to conquer the lion, serve also to ener- 

 vate and discourage him; for he is brave only 

 in proportion to the success of his former en- 

 counters. In the vast deserts of Zaara, in the 

 burning sands that lie between Mauritania, 

 and Negroland, in the uninhabited countries 

 that lie to the north of CaiFraria, and, in ge 

 neral, in all the deserts of Africa, where man 

 has not fixed his habitation, the lionsare found 

 in great numbers, and preserve their natural 

 courage and force. Accustomed to measure 

 their strength with every animal they meet, 

 the huliit of conquering renders them intrepid 

 and terrible. Having never experienced the 

 dangerous arts and combinations of man, they 

 have tio apprehensions from his power. They 

 boldly face him, and seem to brave the force 

 of his arms. Wounds rather serve to provoke 

 their rage than repress their ardour. They 

 are not daunted even with the opposition of 

 numbers ; a single lion of the desert often at- 

 tacks an entire caravan; and, after an obsti- 

 nate combat, when he finds himself overpower- 

 ed, instead of flying, he continues to combat, 

 retreating, and still facing the enemy till he 

 dies. On the contrary, the lions which inha- 

 bit the peopled countries of Morocco or India, 

 having become acquainted with human power, 

 and experienced man's superiority, have lost 

 all their courage, so as to be scared away 

 with a shout ; and seldom attack any but the 

 unresisting flocks or herds, which even wo- 

 men and children are sufficient to protect. 



This alteration in the lion's disposition suf- 

 ficiently shows that he might easily be tamed, 

 and admit of a certain degree of education. 

 " In fact, nothing is more common than for 

 the keepers of the wild beasts to play with 

 this animal, to pull out his tongue, ai\4 even 

 to chastise him without a cause. He seems 

 to bear it all with the utmost composure ; and 

 we very rarely have instances of his revenging 

 these unprovoked sallies of impertinent cruel- 

 ty. However, when his anger is at last ex- 

 cited, the consequences are terrible. Labat 

 tells us of a gentleman who kept a lion in his 

 chamber, and employed a servant to attend 



it; who, as is usual, mixed his blows with ca- 

 resses. This ill-judged association continued 

 for some time ; till one morning the gentleman 

 was awakened by a noise in his room, which, 

 at first, he could not tell the cause of; but, 

 drawing the curtains, he 'perceived a horrid 

 spectacle; the lion growling over the man's 

 head, which he had separated from the body, 

 and tossing it round the lloor. He immediate- 

 ly, therefore, flew into the next room, called 

 to the people without, and had the animal se- 

 cured from doing further mischief." How- 

 ever, this single account is not sufficient to 

 weigh against the many instances we every 

 day see of this creature's gentleness and sub- 

 mission. He is often bred up with other do- 

 mestic animals, and is seen to play innocent- 

 ly and familiarly among them; and, if ever it 

 happens that his natural ferocity returns, it 

 is seldom exerted against his benefactors. 

 As his passions are strong, and his appetites 

 vehement, one ought not to presume that the 

 impressions of education will always prevail; 

 so that it would be dangerous in such circum- 

 stances to suffer him to remain too long with- 

 out food, or to persist in irritating and abusing 

 him : however, numberless accounts assure us 

 that his anger is noble, his courage magnani- 

 mous, and his disposition grateful. He has 

 been often seen to despise contemptible ene- 

 mies, and pardon their insults, when it was 

 in his power to punish them. He has been 

 seen to spare the lives of such as were thrown 

 to be devoured by him, to live peaceably with 

 them, to afford them a part of his subsistence, 

 and sometimes to want food himself rather 

 than deprive them of that life which his ge- 

 nerosity had spared. 



It may also be said that the lion is not cruel, 

 since he is so only from necessity, and never 

 kills more than he consumes. When satiated, 

 he is perfectly gentle; while the tiger, the 

 wolf, and all the inferior kinds, such as the 

 fox, the pole-cat, and the ferret, kill without 

 remorse, are fierce without cause, and, by 

 their indiscriminate slaughter, seem rather to 

 satisfy their malignity than their hunger. 



The outward form of the lion seems to sneak 

 his internal generosity. His figure is striking, 

 his look confident and bold, his gait proud, 

 and his voice terrible. His stature is not over- 

 grown, like that of the elephant, or rhinoceros : 

 3 A 



