CHAP. v. LIONS. 279 



unable to get through the tough skin. Then the lion lay 

 down, and the lioness driving her offspring before her did 

 the same four or five yards off, upon which he got up, and 

 commencing to eat had. soon finished a hind-leg, retiring 

 a few yards on one side as soon as he had done so. The 

 lioness came up next and tore the carcase to shreds, 

 bolting huge mouthfuls, but not objecting to the whelps 

 eating as much as they could find. There was a good 

 deal of snarling and quarrelling among these young lions, 

 and occasionally a stand-up fight for a minute, but their 

 mother did not take any notice of them, except to give 

 them a smart blow with her paw if they got in her way. 



At last one of the whelps, having probably eaten as 

 much as it could gorge, began to wander about, and in a 

 few minutes came my way. Seeing it so near, the idea of 

 catching it entered into my head, and descending to the 

 lower branch, I waited till it came underneath and 

 dropped down over it, seizing it with both hands ; but I 

 had counted without my host; the little beast snarled 

 and bit and tore at my bare arms in such a fashion that I 

 was glad to fling it away, and scuttle up the tree again as 

 fast as I could out of the way of the enraged mother, who 

 was coming down at full gallop, her tail carried out straight 

 behind, and looking the very personification of fury. She 

 rushed right against the tree in her blind hurry, and then 

 rearing up, glared at me and roared terribly. I might 

 easily enough have sent my spear into her ; but as there 

 was not the faintest chance of its killing her, and it 

 would answer no useful purpose, I refrained, and watched 

 her instead as she flew at her offspring, and drove it, 

 yelling at her rough treatment, towards the others. There 



