FAMILY D IGITIGRADA. TOE-TREADERS. 



27 



within seventy yards of the Lions. Here a forked branch afforded an ad- 

 mirable rest. I placed my rifle in the fork, and, taking the old Lion low, 

 I let fly, hitting him in the shoulder ; the two then wheeled about, and, 

 bounding forward with angry growls, disappeared among the trees. 



" From the cool state I was in when I fired, and the steady aim which 

 the forked branch had afforded me, I felt convinced that the Lion, if not 

 dead, must be mortally wounded, but I prudently resolved not to proceed in 

 quest of him alone. Presently some of my men, who had gone to the car- 

 case of a buffalo I had slain the previous day, returned bringing the dogs ; 

 and, having informed them of what had happened, I proceeded to take up 

 the spoor of the wounded Lion. On reaching the spot where the Lions 

 had stood, my dogs at once commenced barking angrily and looking sharply 

 around in every direction, their hair bristling on their backs. I at once 

 discovered blood, which increased as I proceeded from small red drops to 

 large frothy blotches ; and before advancing two hundred yards, on approach- 

 ing a dense green bush, my dogs, which led the way, sprang suddenly to 

 one side, barking with great vehemence. By this I knew that the Lion 

 was dead, and, on cautiously rounding the bush, taking care at the same 

 time to give it a wide berth, I had the satisfaction to behold a princely Lion 

 stretched lifeless on the ground. He was in the prime of life, having fine 

 sharp teeth ; and it being now the dead of winter he carried the most 

 luxuriant coat of hair, the rankness of his flowing mane exceeding in beauty 

 anything I had hitherto seen. I considered myself extremely fortunate in 

 having secured so noble a specimen of the Lion with so little danger, and I 

 at once set men to work to unrobe him, which they were not long in ac- 

 complishing." 



Not less interesting is his recontre with a troop of Lions and Hya?nas : 

 " On reaching the water I looked towards the carcase of the rhinoceros, 

 and, to my astonishment, I beheld the ground alive with large creatures, as 

 though a troop of zebras were approaching the fountain to drink. Kleinboy 

 remarked to me that a troop of zebras were standing on the height. I an- 

 swered, ' Yes :' but I knew very well that zebras would not be capering 

 around the carcase of a rhinoceros. I quickly arranged my blankets, pillow, 

 and guns in the hole, and then lay down to feast my eyes on the interesting 

 sight before me. It was bright moonlight, as clear as I need wish, and 

 within one night of being full moon. There were six large Lions, about 

 twelve or fifteen hyaenas, and from twenty to thirty jackals, feasting on and 

 around the carcases of the three rhinoceroses. The Lions feasted peacefully, 

 but the hyaenas and jackals fought over every mouthful, and chased one 

 another round and round the carcases, growling, laughing, screeching, chat- 

 tering, and howling without any intermission. The hyenas did not seem 

 afraid of the Lions, although they always gave way before them ; for I ob- 

 served that they followed them in the most disrespectful manner, and stood 

 laughing, one or two on either side, when any lions came after their com- 

 rades to examine pieces of skin or bones which they were dragging away. 

 I had lain watching this banquet for about three hours, in the strong hope 

 that, when the Lions had feasted, they would come and drink. Two black 

 and two white rhinoceroses had made their appearance, but, scared by the 

 smell of the blood, they had made off. 



" At length the Lions seemed satisfied. They all walked about with 

 their heads up, and seemed to be thinking about the water ; and in two 

 minutes one of them turned his face towards me, and came on ; he was 

 immediately followed by a second Lion, and in half a minute by the re- 

 maining four. It was a decided and general move, they were all coming 

 to drink right bang in my face, within fifteen yards of me. 



" I charged the unfortunate, pale, and panting Kleinboy to convert him- 

 self into a stone, and knowing, from old spoor, exactly where they would 

 drink, I cocked my left barrel, and placed myself and gun in position. The 

 six Lions came steadily on along the stony ridge, until within sixty yards 

 of me, when they halted for a minute to reconnoitre. One of them stretched 

 out his massive arms on the rock and lay down ; the others then came on, 

 and he rose and brought up the rear. They walked, as I had anticipated, 

 to the old drinking-place, and three of them had put down their heads and 

 were lapping the water loudly, when Kleinboy thought it necessary to shove 



up his ugly head. I turned my head slowly to rebuke him, and again 

 turning to the Lions I found myself discovered. 



" An old Lioness, who seemed to take the lead, had detected me, and, 

 with her head high and her eyes fixed full upon me, she was coming slowly 

 round the corner of the little vley to cultivate further my acquaintance. 

 This unfortunate proceeding put a stop at once to all further contemplation. 

 I thought, in my haste, that it was perhaps most prudent to shoot this 

 Lioness, especially as none of the others had noticed me. I accordingly 

 moved my arm and covered her : she saw me move and halted, exposing a 

 full broadside. I fired : the ball entered one shoulder and passed out behind 

 the other. She bounded forward with repeated growls, and was followed 

 by her five comrades all enveloped in a cloud of dust ; nor did they stop 

 until they had reached the cover behind me, except one old gentleman, who 

 halted and looked back for a few seconds, when I fired, but the ball went 

 high. I listened anxiously for some sound to denote the approaching end 

 of the Lioness ; nor listened iu vain. I heard her growling and stationary, 

 as if dying. In one minute her comrades crossed the vley a little below me, 

 and made towards the rhinoceros. I then slipped Wolf and Boxer on her 

 scent, and, following them into the cover, I found her lying dead within 

 twenty yards of where the old Lion had lain two nights before. This was 

 a fine old Lioness, with perfect teeth, and was certainly a noble prize ; but 

 I felt dissatisfied at not having rather shot a Lion, which I had most cer- 

 tainly done if my Hottentot had not destroyed my contemplation." 



The following account of a dangerous interview with a Lioness must 

 close our present reference to Mr. Cumming's volumes, brimful though they 

 are with wonderful exploits and hairbreadth escapes : " Having proceeded 

 about half-way, I suddenly observed two huge yellow Lionesses, about a 

 hundred and fifty yards to my left, walking along the edge of the reeds, 

 holding a course parallel to my own. The reitbucks smelt the Lions and 

 lay down. I got very near them, but they started off, and bounded straight 

 away from me : I fired and missed the buck. 



" Ruyter came towards me, and I ran forward to obtain a view beyond 

 a slight rise in the ground to see whither the Lionesses had gone. In so 

 doing I came suddenly upon them, within about seventy yards ; they were 

 standing looking back at Ruyter. I then very rashly commenced making- 

 a rapid stalk in upon them, and fired at the nearest, having only one shot 

 in my rifle. The ball told loudly, and the Lioness at which I had fired 

 wheeled right round, and came on lashing her tail, showing her teeth, and 

 making that horrid murderous deep growl which an angry Lion generally 

 utters. At the same moment her comrade, who seemed better to know 

 that she was in the presence of man, made a hasty retreat into the reeds. 

 The instant the Lioness came on I stood up to my full height, holding my 

 rifle, and my arms 'extended, and high above my head. This checked her 

 in her course, but on looking round and missing her comrade, and observing 

 Ruyter slowly advancing, she was still more exasperated, and, fancying that 

 she was being surrounded, she made another forward movement, growling 

 terribly. This was a moment of great danger. I felt that my only chance 

 of safety was extreme steadiness, so, standing motionless as a rock, with my 

 eyes firmly fixed upon her, I called out in a clear commanding voice, 

 'Holloa! old girl, what's the hurry ? take it easy; holloa! holloa!' She 

 instantly once more halted, and seemed perplexed, looking round for her 

 comrade. I then thought it prudent to beat a retreat, which I very slowly 

 did, talking to the Lioness all the time. She seemed undecided as to her 

 future movements, and was gazing after me and snuffing the ground when 

 I last beheld her." 



Lions are found throughout Africa, in those parts of Arabia and Persia 

 which border on the Tigris and Euphrates from the Persian Gulf as far as 

 Bagdad. They vary from each other in some trifling particulars. 



The Barbary Lion is that which has been already described. 



The Senegal Lion has a brighter and yellower coat than that from Bar- 

 bary, but its mane is neither so thick nor long. 



The Arabian Lion is smaller than the others ; the males are much larger 

 than the females, and have no mane. 



The Conguar, called also the Puma (F. Concolor et Discolor), differs 



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