X EXCURSIONS FROM EL BOGOI 233 



the comparative moisture of such cool heights, is the juniper, a 

 conifer with foHage reminding one strongly of that of the 

 " arbor vitae " though much less dense. Lesiat said that if I 

 killed any elephants, not too far away, he would follow me to 

 eat them on receiving news of my success. Where he had 

 been lately encamped on the mountains was only just over the 

 brow, near which they had killed the two I had heard about ; 

 and he would, he said, on no account go down the slopes on 

 the western side. The reason he gave for his objection to 

 visiting that region was that it was infested with man-eating 

 lions ; and he told me the following story as proof of this, and 

 to account for his aversion to that part of the country. I give 

 it just as he told it me. 



When he was a young man, he was once wandering there 

 with a companion in search of honey — the usual occupation of 

 these people. While pursuing their quest, he was suddenly 

 sprung upon by a lion, which seized him by the head and began 

 dragging him away. As it passed, with him in its mouth, close 

 to a thick bushy tree, he (according to his own account) 

 managed to get his head among the branches and thus delay 

 his captor's progress, at the same time calling to his companion 

 for help. The latter let drive an arrow into the lion, which 

 then transferred its attentions to him, letting go Lesiat. Lesiat, 

 after having had his head in the beast's mouth, did not care to 

 pursue the controversy further, so ran away shouting and left 

 his friend to be eaten. The lion, he explained, did not die. 

 In proof of his story he showed me the scars on his head, 

 which were plain enough. I pointed out that this must have 

 happened a great many years ago, as he was now an elderly 

 man ; but he maintained that the man-eater was still haunting 

 the neighbourhood, and that it was not the only one that preyed 

 on human beings in that part. 



