230 THE LION. 



That the lion may not be so bloody-minded as 

 some other carnivorous animals the fox, for in- 

 stance, who when in the hen-roost not imfrequently 

 whisks off the heads of most of the inmates is also 

 perfectly true ; for, as elsewhere said, he only kills 

 when hungry, or when attacked, but never for the 

 mere pleasure of killing ; but let his stomach be 

 empty, more especially in the night-time, and if 

 man or beast crosses his path, be assured he will 

 show no mercy. The Arabs, indeed, who are well 

 acquainted with his disposition, have the adage : 

 " When thou settest off on a journey never go alone, 

 and always arm thyself as if thou wert going to meet 

 a lion." 



Though the world at large considers the lion a 

 scourge, and one that it is desirable to get rid of by 

 every possible means, yet, strange to say, certain 

 of the Bushmen and other natives of Southern 

 Africa look upon the beast rather as a benefactor 

 than otherwise.* To those men he performs the 

 same part as the iackal is said to do to the lion, 



I U ' 



* In certain parts of the African continent, indeed, the lion would 

 seem to be actually protected, so to say, and that for a singular 

 reason. "There are also," says Dr. Livingston, when traversing 

 countries bordering the Portuguese settlement on the West Coast, 

 "a great many lions and hyenas, and there is no check upon the 

 increase of the former, for the people, believing that the souls of 

 chiefs enter into them, never attempt to kill them ; they even believe 

 that the chief may metamorphose himself into a lion, kill any one he 

 chooses, and then return to the human form. Therefore when they 

 sec one they commence clapping their hands, which is the usual 

 mode of salutation here. The consequence is that lions and hyenas 

 are so abundant, that we see little huts made in trees, indicating the 

 places where some of the inhabitants have slept when benighted in 

 tin..- field.-,." 



