184 THE LION. 



the poor animal that bore us. Afterwards he re- 

 tired to a large thick bush, where, though we were 

 certain he was concealed in it, he could not readily 

 be seen. 



" To look into this bush, it was necessary to 

 get nearer to it, but it was with the greatest diffi- 

 culty the elephant could be induced to approach it. 

 At length, however, we got her (it was a female) to 

 within ten or twelve yards of the bush, when the 

 lion, before he could be viewed, again bounded forth, 

 and the elephant swerving to one side, he formed a 

 lodgment upon her croup, and wounded the un- 

 fortunate creature very severely, coming also to 

 tolerably close quarters with Woodhouse, who was 

 seated in the hinder part of the 'howdah.' 



" The lion again took refuge in a thicket, but as 

 the elephant was now so dreadfully frightened that 

 she would on no terms approach the spot where she 

 knew the enemy to be, ifc became a matter of debate 

 how the beast was next to be attacked ? Woodhouse 

 proposed, and it was agreed to by Laing (who had 

 now joined us) and myself, that we should proceed 

 on foot. 



"All three, therefore, entered the thicket together, 

 and crept under the bushes, the branches of which 

 reached nearly to the ground, and when we got 

 sight of the lion, fired several shots into him at from 

 thirty to forty yards distance. Fortunately for us, 

 in our cramped situation, he did not charge, but 

 only answered each ball with a grunt, and at last 

 retired before us, so that we again lost sight of him. 

 " Subsequently, after having for a long time 



