298 THE WORLD'S WONDERS. 



almost any danger ; and if a man happens to cross to the wind- 

 ward of them, both lion and lioness will rush at him, in the man- 

 ner of a bitch with whelps. This does not often happen, and 

 Livingstone knew of only two or three instances of the kind. 

 In one case a man, passing where the wind blew from him to the 

 animals, was bitten before he could climb a tree ; occasionally a 

 man on horseback has been caught by the leg under the same 

 circumstances. So general, however, is the sense of security on 

 noonlight nights, that travelers seldom tie up their oxen, but let 

 them lie loose by the wagons ; while on a dark, rainy night, if a 

 lion is in the neighborhood, he is almost sure to venture to kill 

 an ox. His approach is always stealthy, except when wounded ; 

 and any appearance of a trap is enough to cause him to refrain 

 from making the last spring. This seems charateristic of the 

 feline species. 



When a lion is very hungry, and lying in wait, the sight of an 

 animal may make him commence stalking it. In one case a man, 

 while stealthily crawling toward a rhinoceros, happened to glance 

 behind him, and found to his horror a lion stalking him ; he only 

 escaped by springing up a tree like a cat. At Lopepe a lioness 

 sprang on the after quarter of Mr. OswelPs horse, and when his 

 companions came up to him they found the marks of the claws 

 on the horse, and a scratch on Mr. O's hand. The horse, on 

 feeling the lion on him, sprang away, and the rider, caught by a 

 wait-a-bit thorn, was brought to the ground and rendered insen- 

 sible. His dogs saved him. Another English gentleman (Cap- 

 tain Codrington) was surprised in the same way, though not 

 hunting the lion at the time, but turning round he shot him dead 

 in the neck. By accident a horse belonging to Codrington ran 

 away, but was stopped by the bridle catching a stump ; there he 

 remained a prisoner two days, and when found the whole space 

 around was marked by the footprints of lions. They had evi- 

 dently been afraid to attack the haltered horse from fear that it 

 was a trap. Two lions came up by .night to within three yards 

 of Livingstone's oxen, which were tied to a wagon, and a sheep 

 tied to a tree, and stood roaring but afraid to make a spring. 



