88 



THE LIOX. 



At times, however, it is asserted that, prior to so 

 doing, he carefully, step by step, measures the 

 ground, so that he may not again miscalculate the 

 distance ; and certainly the following incidents, re- 

 lated by Moffatt, give, it must be confessed, some 

 countenance to the extraordinary statement. 



" Passing along a vale," says the reverend gen- 

 tleman, " we came to a spot where the lion appeared 

 to have been exercising himself in the way of leap- 

 ing. As the natives are very expert in tracing the 

 manoeuvres of animals by their foot-marks, it was 

 soon discovered that a large lion had crept towards 

 a short black stump, very like the human form, and, 

 when within about adozen yards, had bounded towards 

 its supposed prey, but, to its mortification, fell short 

 of it by a foot or two. According to the testimony 

 of a native who had been watching the beast's pro- 

 ceedings, and who joined us soon afterwards, the 

 lion, after this failure, lay for some time steadfastly 

 eyeing the stump in question. He then arose, smelt 

 the object, and returned to the spot from which he 

 commenced his first leap, and leaped four successive 

 times, till at last he placed his paw on what, in the 

 first instance, he had imagined to be his prize." 



<k On another occasion," Moffatt goes on to say, 

 " when Africaner, a famous native chieftain, and an 

 attendant, were travelling near a hill, from the foot 

 of which jutted out an isolated and precipitous rock 

 of some ten or twelve feet in height, they observed 

 a number of zebras following a track that passed 

 around the foot of the rock in question. A lion 

 was at the same time observed creeping towards the 

 zebras, and knowing that if he could at one leap 



