300 TIIK WORLD'S WONDERS. 



Oswell and Vardon, while hunting together once, saw three 

 lions endeavoring to drag down a buffalo which was mortally 

 wounded, but they were unable to do so. This very exciting 

 circumstance is thus described by Mr. Vardon in a letter to Liv- 

 ingstone : " Oswell and I were riding this afternoon along the 



C o O 



banks of the Limpopo, when a water-buck started in front of us. 

 I dismounted and was following it through the jungle, when three 

 buffaloes got up, and, after going a short distance, stood still, 

 and the nearest bull turned round and looked at me. A ball 

 from the two ouncer crashed into his shoulder, and they all three 

 made off. Oswell and I followed as soon as I had reloaded, and 

 when we were in sight of the buffalo, and gaining on him at every 

 stride, three lions leaped on the unfortunate brute ; he bellowed 

 most lustily as he kept up a kind of running fight, but he was, 

 of course, soon overpowered and pulled down. We had a Hue 

 view of the struggle, and saw the lions on their hind legs tearing 

 away with teeth and claws in most ferocious style. We crept up 

 within thirty yards, and, kneeling down, blazed away at the lions. 

 My rifle was a single barrel, and I had no spare un. One lion 

 fell dead almost on the buffalo ; he had merely time to turn 

 toward us, seize a bush with his teeth, and drop dead with the stick 

 in his jaws. The second made off immediately ; and the third 

 raised his head, coolly looked round for a moment, then went on 

 tearing and biting at the carcass as hard as ever. We retired a 

 short distance to load, then again advanced and fired. The lion 

 made off, but a ball that he received ought to have stopped him, 

 as it went clean through his shoulder-blade. He was followed 

 up and killed, after having charged several times. Both lions 

 were males. It is not often that one bags a brace of lions and a 

 bull buffalo in about ten minutes. It was an exciting adventure, 

 and I shall never forjret it." 



o 



In general the lion seizes the animal he is attacking by the 

 flank near the hind-leg, or by the throat below the jaw. It is 

 questionable whether he ever attempts to seize an animal by the 

 withers. The flank is the most common point of attack, and that 

 is the part he begins to feast on first. The natives and lions are 



