n6 FLESH-EATERS OF THE LAND 



treat all animals as we would like to be treated ourselves, 



and : 



'Never to blend our pleasure or our pride 

 With sorrow of the meanest thing that feels.' 



Dr. Livingstone has shown us, by his own experience, 

 that the very shock of being seized by a carnivorous animal 

 takes away the senses of pain and fear. ' 1 saw the lion 

 just in the act of springing upon me. Grunting horribly, 

 close to my ear, he shook me as a terrier does a rat. 

 The shock produced a stupor similar to that which seems 

 to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. 

 It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was no 

 sense of pain or feeling of terror, though I was quite 

 conscious of all that was happening. The shake anni- 

 hilated fear, and allowed no sense of horror at looking 

 round at the beast. This peculiar state is probably 

 produced in all animals killed by the carnivora, and, if 

 so, is a merciful provision by our benevolent Creator for 

 lessening the pains of death/ 



Although the Lion is less inclined for battle than for 

 flight, the task of killing one is fraught with the greatest 

 danger. Unless it be killed or entirely disabled at the first 

 shot, the Lion at once turns on its foes, and, like a 

 lightning flash, is among them, ' a cataract of claws,' as 

 a spectator happily remarked. It is a remarkable trait 

 in all the large carnivora, that if they receive a mortal 

 wound, and do not see whence it was dealt, they quietly 

 lie down and succumb. But, if they catch a glimpse of 

 their enemy, they gather all their remaining strength, and 

 compress into a few seconds the vengeance of a lifetime. 



The Lion is mentioned in Scripture more frequently than 

 any other beast, except the domesticated animals. When 

 a Lion took a lamb from the flock, David 'caught him 

 by his beard, and smote him and slew him ' (i Sam. xvii. 

 34-36). There is also recorded the feat of Benaiah, who 

 ' went down also and slew a Lion in the midst of a 

 pit in time of snow/ This was a particularly daring 

 deed, to descend into the pitfall and slay the captive single- 

 handed. 



