THE LION OF SOUTH AFKICA. 79 



sort of dreaminess, in which there was no sense of 

 pain nor feeling of terror, though quite conscious of 

 all that was happening. It was like what patients 

 partially under the influence of chloroform describe, 

 who see all the operation, but feel not the knife. This 

 singular condition was not the result of any mental 

 process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no 

 sense of horror in looking round at the beast. This 

 peculiar state is probably produced by all animals 

 killed by the carnivora ; and if so, is a merciful pro- 

 vision by our benevolent Creator for lessening the pain 

 of death. Turning round to relieve myself of the 

 weight, as he had one paw on the back of my head, I 

 saw his eyes directed to Mebalwe, who was trying to 

 shoot him at a distance of ten or fifteen yards. His 

 gun, a flint one, missed fire in both the barrels. The 

 lion immediately left me, and attacking Mebalwe, bit 

 his thigh. Another man, whose life I had saved 

 before, after he had been tossed by a buffalo, attempted 

 to spear the lion while he was biting Mebalwe. He 

 left Mebalwe and caught this man by the shoulder, 

 but at that moment the bullets he had received took 

 effect, and he fell down dead." 



It would seem that the lion takes quite another 

 course when the victim is a beast. Most frequently 

 he kills him at a blow. A farmer had just unyoked 

 his oxen, when a lion threw himself successively on 



