A STRANGE METAMORPHOSIS. 203 



suddenly in his race, with his back still towards the 

 charging lion, now drawing very close, he ducked 

 his head and body till he looked at it reversedly 

 from between his legs, and in that position made 

 some of his most hideous faces, and gave utterance 

 to some of his most appalling yells, and, at the 

 same time, gesticulated wildly with his arms. 



" This was a metamorphosis for which the savage 

 beast was quite unprepared. Just before, there had 

 been a runaway man, legging it as hard as he could 

 go in front ; but now there was a fearful, shapeless 

 creature stationary and unyielding, and howling in 

 the most awful way, quite beyond all lion expe- 

 rience. The brute was staggered, and hesitated in 

 his headlong career; then pulled up and looked ; 

 advanced a step, and looked more closely ; heard a 

 frantic yell of extra power, the last despairing 

 effort of the hunter ; turned, and with lowered tail, 

 trotted off to join his companion, now disappearing 

 in the distance. After a short space, my friend 

 arose, almost purple in the face from the violence of 

 his exertions, and the unpleasantly low position of 

 his head ; but much gratified, and chuckling greatly 

 at the success of his ingenious ruse." 



"Oh, come, Norman!" said Hawkes, laughing; 

 " that is a good one." 



" I tell you what," observed Mackenzie, " if you 



