34 THE LION KILLER. 



lowing herds, its tethered horses and barking dogs. Some of 

 the boldest men approach the ditch, and pull away the 

 interior hedge to get a fair sight of the prisoner, and judge of 

 his age and sex. As the evil that he does is in proportion to 

 his size and valor, so is the joy at his capture ; therefore if it is a 

 lioness or a young lion, the first comers move away, making 

 faces of disappointment ; and the others prepared by the dis- 

 pleasure they see on the countenances of their elders, take 

 their places to see the captive. But if it is an old lion with a 

 full mane, they give way to frantic gestures and cries. The 

 news flies from mouth to mouth, and the spectators who are 

 nearest have to take good care to save themselves from being 

 pushed into the pit by the impatient crowd behind. After 

 the curiosity of all has been gratified, and they are satisfied 

 •with casting imprecations and stones at the noble animal, the 

 men take their guns and fire on him until life is extinguished. 



Ordinarily after he has received a dozen balls without 

 moving or groaning, he lifts his great head, and with a glance 

 of scorn at his prudent enemies, lies calmly down and dies. 



Some time elapses, and when he shows no more signs of 

 life, several men descend into the ditch by means of 

 cords, and attach ropes to his body to draw him out. 

 These ropes have to be of great strength, for a full-grown 

 lion seldom weighs less than six hundred pounds. After 

 the cords are secured to the lion, they are fastened around 

 a post fixed in the earth near the ditch, and all the 

 strongest men in the camp draw the dead body, hand over 

 hand, to the surface of the ground. After this tedious opera- 

 tion is finished, the heart of the animal is taken out and cut 



