POLTROOXEBY OF THE LTOX. 225 



Moffatt is amongst those who have no very high 

 opinion of the lion's courage, at least in the day- 

 time. He even goes so far as to say " that, with 

 all the beast's boldness, he sometimes proves an 

 arrant coward," and in proof thereof, relates 

 several instances of his seeminor poltroonery. 



Amongst others, he savs " that he has known 



v 



the Bushmen, and even women and children, to 

 drive the lion from the prey he has just seized, 

 bv beating their sticks on drv hides and shouting." 



* . 



He also states " that he remembered a man having 

 come unexpectedly on a lion, and fainting at the 

 sight. The beast raised himself up to look over the 

 bushes, and seeing no one, he suspected a pV~t, and 

 scampered off with his tail between his lei's." 



Then, after relating the manner in which a native 



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had been followed by a lion, the Missionary goes en 

 to say : 



"At length the animal lay down at the foo: of 

 the tree up which the poor fellow had taken refuge, 

 and kept watch all nicrht. Towards morning, how- 



L *~ 



ever, sleep overcame the hitherto watchful Bash- 

 man. He dreamt that he had fallen into the lion's 

 mouth, and awaking at the moment he. in ^ su.tc 



O 



of fright and bewilderment, lost his ixi:ai:ce. and, 

 falling from amongst the branches, alighted h^vily 

 on the back of the beast, on which the monster, 

 thus unexpectedly saluted, ran off with a loud roar; 

 and the Bushman, also taking to his heels in an 

 opposite direction, returned in safety to his anxious 

 parents." 



As regards the hours of darkness, nevertheless. 



