114 IJIVLSIOX I. YEKTEiniAL ANIMALS. — CLASS I. MA^HLVLLV. 



man almost imariably wlien travelling with horses ; but it is proved that 

 the horse is the object of his pursuit, not man. 



'J'liompson relates an ineident that seems to eoufirm tliis. 



" Lucas Van ^'unsen, a A'ee boor, was riding across the open plains, 

 near tlic Little Fisii liiver, one morning about daybreaic, and observing a 

 lion at a di.-tanee, he endeavored to avoid him by making a wide circuit. 

 Tiicre were thousands of springboks scattered over the extensive flats; 

 btit tlie lion, from the open nature of the country, had been unsuccessful 

 in himtiu"-. Lucas soon perceived that he was not disposed to let him 

 pass without finther parlance, and that he was raj)idly approaching to 

 tile encounter ; and, being without his rifle, and otherwise little inclined to 

 anv closer acquaintance, he tm'ncd oft' at right angles, laid the sjambok 

 i'reclv to his horse's flanks, and galloped for life. But it was too late. 

 The iiorse was lagged, and bore a heavy man on his back. The lion was 

 fresh, and fiuious with himger, and came down upon him like a thunder- 

 bolt. In a lew seconds he overtook, and, S|n'inging up behind Lucas, 

 brouuht horse and man in an instant to the ground. Luckily the poor boor 

 was imhiu't, and the lion was too eager in worrying the horse to pay any 

 iuHueiliate attention to the rider. Hardly knowing how he escaped, he 

 Contrived to scramble out of the fray, and reached the nearest house in 

 safety." 



There are many other instances which suflicicntl}' prove that the lion will 

 not assail man as an olject of food if he can procure anything else. 

 Besides, he appears to have an instinctive dread of the human race ; and 

 far in the iutcri(jr of AlVica, where the ])coplc arc ignorant of oiu- powerful 

 lire-arms, they attack this terrilile creatm-e witliout fear. Their ukkIc of 

 hunting him is thus described by Phillips, in his " ]{esearches " : — 



"It has been remarked of tlie lion by the bushmcn, that he generally kills 

 and devours his prey in the morning or evening, at sunrise or sunset. On 

 this account, when they intend to kill lions, they generally notice where the 

 springboks arc grazing at the rising of the sun ; and by oi>scrving, at the 

 same time, if they appear frightened and run off, they com-lude that they 

 have been attacked by the lion. Marking accin-ately the spot where the 

 alarm took place, about eleven o'clock of the day, when the sun is power- 

 ful, and the enemy they seek is siipi)osed to be fast asleep, tlicy carefully 

 examine the ground, and finding him in a state of unguarded seein-ity, they 

 lodge a poisoned arrow in his breast. The moment the lion is tluis struck 

 he springs from his lair, loses all presence of mind, and bounds oil like a 

 stricken deer. The work is done. Tlie arrow of death has pierced his 

 heart, without even breaking the slumbers of the lioness which may have 

 been Iving beside him ; and the bushiuan knows where, in the course of 



