218 THE LION. 



But if, on the contrary, the lion's broadside be 

 exposed to your view, the best point at which to 

 aim is perhaps the shoulder, as a ball through the 

 latter, though it may fail to kill, will most assuredly 

 cripple the beast. Many will say, " Fire behind the 

 shoulder, in the region of the heart." But should 

 you do so, and if the ball goes wide of that organ, 

 it will probably have little more immediate effect 

 than if directed against a brick wall ; and however 

 badly wounded the lion may be, the chances are 

 he forthwith charges his assailant. Even if the 

 projectile penetrates the heart, death does not 

 always ensue so rapidly as to prevent him from 

 attacking you. 



The lion is exceedingly tenacious of life. Were 

 other evidence wanting of this being the case, that 

 of Major Delamaine's, in his description of the two 

 interesting hunts recorded in a preceding chapter, 

 would alone be sufficient. On both of these occa- 

 sions, as may be remembered, the beasts were 

 literally riddled with balls before life was extinct. 



Gerard testifies to the like effect. After telling 

 us " that the lion would seem to be possessed of a 

 charmed life," he goes on to say : " Whatever the 

 number of balls may be that have hit him, he does 

 not die until the heart or brain is pierced, and to 

 penetrate the latter is no easy matter, for parts of 

 the skull are so thick as actually to flatten the balls. 

 On making the autopsy of the lion of Bone, I dis- 

 covered that the second bullet had struck the 

 osfrontis, without breaking it. It had flattened on 

 the bone, as large as the palm of my hand, and 



