126 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



a growl and a hiss, and makes straight for the most 

 formidable of its enemies. I have known cases w r hen, 

 after a protracted struggle with a pack of dogs, the Ratel 

 has picked himself up and jogged off, apparently little 

 the worse from the encounter, leaving the assailants 

 totally exhausted, and all more or less damaged. 



When the Ratel has eventually been shot after a severe 

 worrying, the skin has invariably been found entirely 

 free from any teeth punctures, although there has existed 

 considerable internal bruising. Major Fraser, writing 

 of such an incident, says : " The dogs got to grips with 

 a Honey-Badger, and had one of the biggest worries I 

 ever saw. The badger was fairly smothered in dogs, 

 and he punished every one of them well. They were 

 covered with blood, and clean off their heads. They 

 paid no attention to me calling them off, and every time 

 I went near, the badger broke away from the dogs and 

 came for my legs. I had to shoot him in the end ; but 

 although I had broken his shoulder, he still continued 

 to come straight at me. Pluck was not the word for it." 



On another occasion the same gentleman took a snap- 

 shot at some small animal which he saw moving through 

 the bush close to the path. The next instant, quite slowly 

 and deliberately, there emerged a Ratel, which, getting 

 a good grip of the calf of his leg, held on like a bulldog 

 until it was killed. A patrolling ranger once came to a 

 spot where a lion had tackled a Ratel, and had only 

 succeeded in killing the game little beast after a severe 

 struggle, of which the trampled bush and grass supplied 

 a faithful record. After his victory Master Leo ap- 

 parently found small relish in the meat, for he had eaten 

 only very little of it and then passed on to kill a steenbuck 

 at no great distance away. It is only fair to say that 

 all available evidence pointed to this being a very old lion. 



