176 THE LION 



exploits are planned and executed. In clear 

 moonlight they are by no means so dangerous, 

 and will often take to their heels with the same 

 celerity as usually characterises their retreat if 

 encountered in broad daylight. Misogynists will 

 learn with bitter satisfaction that on nearly all 

 their predatory excursions it is the female who 

 does not only most of the hunting, but is usually 

 the first aggressor ; and certainly in my experience 

 of these animals it is to her that I have owed 

 most of my moments of embarrassment. When 

 she has cubs to defend, the lioness is exceptionally, 

 almost recklessly, savage ; but on these occasions 

 her manifestations of anger are perhaps more in 

 the nature of demonstrations intended to scare 

 off the unwelcome intruder, and, so far as I am 

 aware, but rarely result in much harm if a hasty 

 retreat be promptly beaten. But in daylight 

 cases of unprovoked attack on Europeans are 

 exceedingly few. In almost all cases his in- 

 stinctive fear of man is too strong for him, and 

 the lion, be he one or many, promptly takes to 

 flight. But what constitutes no little of the 

 danger of hunting these animals is the surprising 

 uncertainty of what line of conduct they will, at 

 a given moment, pursue. On some occasions, on 

 sustaining injury they will charge promptly and 

 viciously — especially the females ; whilst on others 

 they will retreat into thick cover and make no 

 effort whatever to take vengeance upon their pur- 

 suers. I think there can be little doubt that as 

 lions vary in size, appearance, colour, and other 

 features, so also they vary in personal courage 



