452 THE TROPICAL WORLD. 



with his tail. The front row give fire, the lion springs forward, 

 if untouched, and generally falls under the balls of the second 

 row, which immediately advance towards him. This moment, sO 

 critical for the lion, whose fury is fully excited, does not end the 

 combat till he is hit in the head or in the heart. Often his hide 

 has been pierced by a dozen balls before the mortal wound is 

 given, so that sometimes, in case of a prolonged contest, several 

 of the hunters are either killed or wounded. The horsemen 

 remain as passive spectators of the fray so long as the lion keeps 

 upon hilly ground, but when driven into the plain, their part 

 begins, and a new combat of a no less original and dramatic 

 character commences ; as every rider, according to his zeal or 

 courage, spurs his horse upon the monster, fires upon him at a 

 short distance, then rapidly wheels as soon as the shot is made, 

 and reloads again, to prepare for a new onset. The lion, at- 

 tacked on all sides, and covered with wounds, fronts everywhere 

 the enemy, springs forward, retreats, returns, and only falls 

 after a glorious resistance, which must necessarily end in his 

 defeat and death, as he is no match for a troop of well-mounted 

 Arabs. After he has spent his power on a few monstrous 

 springs, even an ordinary horse easily overtakes him. One 

 must have been the witness of such a fight to form an idea of 

 its animation. Every rider utters loud imprecations, the white 

 mantles that give so spectral an appearance to their dusky 

 owners, fly in the air like ' streamers long and gay,' the car- 

 bines glisten, the shots resound, the lion roars ; pursuit and 

 flight alternate in rapid succession. Yet, in spite of the tumult, 

 accidents are rare, and the horsemen have generally nothing to 

 fear but a fall from their steed, which might bring them under 

 the claws of their enemy, or, what is oftener the case, the ball 

 of an incautious comrade. 



The Arabs have noticed that the day after the lion has carried 

 away a piece of cattle, he generally remains in a state of 

 drowsy inactivity, incapable of moving from his lair. When 

 the neighbourhood, which usually resounds with his evening 

 roar, remains quiet, there is every reason to believe that the 

 animal is gorged with his gluttonous repast. Then some 

 huntsman, more courageous than his comrades, follows his 

 trail into the thicket, levels his gun at the lethargic monster, 

 and sends a ball into his head. Sometimes even, a hunter. 



