ADVENTURE WITH A LION. 41 



evening travellers not unfrequently find themselves face to face with the 

 " King of the Forest." If unarmed, the best course to pursue is to stand per- 

 fectly still, never moving a muscle, when, if the lion be unaccustomed to the 

 presence of man, he will be so startled at the appearance of a singular animal 

 standing on two legs, which does not run from him, that he will retreat, con- 

 tinually turning round from time to time, until he has reached a safe distance ; 

 when he will bound away to the intense satisfaction of the biped who has 

 treated him to so unwonted an encounter. If under such circumstances the party 

 make a single movement, either towards flight or through nervousness, the 

 lion will almost certainly be upon him, when if he be unarmed, the traveller's 

 chances of escape are exceedingly remote. It is not the power of the human 

 eye, as is vulgarly supposed, which will make the lion under such circumstances 

 turn aside ; it is the unwonted phenomena of a strange annual which shows no 

 fear. No wild animal is so easily intimidated by a strange appearance as the 

 lion ; a branch of a tree stuck into the ground in front of the carcase of an 

 animal he had previously slain and feasted off, will deter him from recom- 

 mencing his meal for a considerable time. 



The traveller armed with a rifle has need of all his coolness in dealing 

 with a Hon. If he fire and only wound the animal his position is infinitely 

 more dangerous than it was before. Even when wounded unto death, the 

 hunter must guard against the last dying effort which in most cases will be 

 expended in leaping upon him. The native dog is very useful in affording a 

 warning of the approach of lions ; and is so courageous that it will advance 

 upon the great brute and bark in his face. The following graphic incident is 

 from Burchell's " Travels in Southern Africa." In the morning while making 

 his way through a bush-covered country he encountered a lion and lioness. The 

 latter disappeared among the bushes but the lion stood his ground. 



"At this moment we felt our situation not free from danger, as the animal 

 seemed preparing to spring upon us, and we were standing on the bank at only 

 the distance of a few yards from him, most of us being on foot and unarmed, 

 without any possibility of escaping, I had given up my horse, and was on foot 

 myself; but there was no time for fear, and it was useless to attempt avoiding 

 him. Poor Tring (a Hottentot woman) was in great alarm ; she clasped her 

 infant to her bosom, and screamed out, as if she thought her destruction 

 inevitable, calling anxiously to those who were nearest the animal, Take care! 

 Take care ! In great fear for my safety, she half insisted upon my moving 

 further off: I however stood well upon my guard, holding my pistols in my 

 hand, with my finger upon the trigger ; and those who had muskets kept 

 themselves prepared in the same manner. But, at this instant, the dogs boldly 

 flew in between us and the lion, and surrounding him, kept him at bay by 

 their violent and resolute barking. The courage of these faithful animals was 

 most admirable : they advanced up to the side of the huge beast, and stood 



