44 THE LION KILLER. 



the hunters spring upon him, some armed with pistols, others 

 with knives ; they fire at, and strike their fallen foe until life 

 is extinguished, and the old lion gives up the ghost with his 

 face to his foes, and his teeth and claws full of clothing 

 and pieces of flesh. 



The nearer the lion draws to his death the more dangerous 

 he becomes. If during an action of this kind, but before he 

 has been wounded, he happens to overtake a man, he over- 

 throws him as he would an obstacle in his way, and the man 

 gets off free with the exception of some scratches from his 

 enemy's claws which are not of much moment, providing he 

 was protected with a good burnous. 



If, however, the lion should have been hit by one or two 

 balls, he will kill or tear to pieces whomsoever he may catch, 

 sometimes carrying the body in his mouth and shaking it 

 until he overtakes another one, whom he in turn catches, 

 dropping his first prey. 



But if badly'wounded and still able to reach a man, he 

 will draw him towards him with his powerful claws, and 

 after having turned up the face of his victim under his nose, 

 will seem to delight in his agonies like a cat with a mouse. 

 While with his claws he slowly tears away the flesh of his 

 victim, his burning eyes are fixed on those of the fallen hunter, 

 who under the fascination of their magnetism dares not 

 beseech or moan. From time to time he will lick the face 

 of the miserable man with his huge rough tongue, and then, 

 wrinkling his eyebrows, will bare his teeth with the air of a 

 tiger. In the meantime, the relatives of the victim, appeal- 

 ing to the company, the most courageous of the party advance, 



