346 MAMMALIA. 



soon as they perceived the hunters. The latter pursued them on 

 horseback, shouting loudly ; but the Lions doubled their pace, and 

 plunged into a wood, where they disappeared. 



Mr. MofFat speaks of having seen bushmen compel the Lion to 

 forsake his prey by only shouting and making a great noise. 



A wealthy farmer was walking over his land, armed with his 

 gun. Suddenly he saw a Lion. Making certain of killing it, 

 he aimed. The gun, however, hung fire ; the man, alarmed, 

 turned to the right about and scampered off with all his might, 

 pursued by the Lion. A little mound of stones presented itself, 

 and on this he jumped, wheeling round to face the brute, and 

 threatening it with the but-end of his gun. In turn, the animal 

 halted, and withdrew some paces, looking very composed, but the 

 farmer did not venture to descend. At last, after nearlj^ half an 

 hour had jjasscd, it slunk slowly away, as if it had been stealing ; 

 and as soon as it got a short distance off, took to rapid flight. 

 This anecdote is told by Sparrmann. 



Another proof of the fear that seizes the Lion at the sight of 

 Man, is the manner in which it treats him when in its power. 

 While it kills an inferior animal it makes its prey without 

 delay, it does not immediately take the life of a human being 

 whom it has seized. Evidently it acts in this manner because 

 it still fears him, even when he is lying on the earth powerless — ■ 

 instinctive fear, and not generosity, aiTests its vengeance. 



We have many examples to bear out this statement. A hunter 

 fires at a Lion and misses, or but slightly wounds it. The animal 

 precipitates itself upon him, strikes him to the ground with a 

 stroke of its paw, and there respectfully keeps him in this terrible 

 restraint, without completing the work of destruction. Thus it 

 often happens that its attention is distracted by the attack of 

 another hunter, when it abandons its victim. 



In this way Livingstone one day escaped certain death. A 

 Lion held him prostrate on the ground in his claws, when a shot 

 from one of his companions fortunately attracted the animal's 

 attention. Immediately leaving the Doctor, the terrible beast 

 threw itself on its new adversary, who in turn escaped. 



It appears, from the statements of some travellers, that when 

 the Lion has fed several times on human flesh, it afterwards 

 prefers this food. It thus becomes a Man-eater, as the Arabs 



