4 A UON ENCOUNTER. 



leaping away, broke through the opening circle and 

 escaped unhurt. The men were afraid to attack him, 

 perhaps on account of their belief in witchcraft. When 

 the circle was re-formed, we saw two other lions in it ; but 

 we were afraid to fire lest we should strike the men, and 

 they allowed the beasts to burst through also. If the 

 Bakatla had acted according to the custom of the country, 

 they would have speared the lions in their attempt to get 

 out. Seeing we could not get them to kill one of the lions, 

 we bent our footsteps towards the village ; in going round 

 the end of the hill, however, I saw one of the beasts sitting 

 on a piece of rock as before, but this time he had a little 

 bush in front. Being about thirty yards off, I took a good 

 aim at his body through the bush, and fired both barrels 

 into it. The men then called out, " He is shot, he is shot ! " 

 Others cried, " He has been shot by another man too ; 

 let us go to him I " I did not see any one else shoot at 

 him, but I saw the lion's tail erected in anger behind the 

 bush, and, turning to the people, said, " Stop a little till 

 I load again." When in the act of ramming down the 

 bullets I heard a shout. Starting, and looking half round, 

 I saw the Hon just in the act of springing upon me. I was 

 upon a little height ; he caught my shoulder as he sprang, 

 and we both came to the ground below together. Growl- 

 ing horribly close to my ear, he shook me as a terrior dog 

 does a rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to that 

 which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of 

 the cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there 

 was no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite 

 conscious of all that was happening. It was like what 

 patients partially under the influence of chloroform de- 

 scribe, who see all the operation, but feel not the knife. 

 This singular condition was not the result of any mental 

 process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no 

 sense of horror in looking round at the beast. This 

 peculiar state is probably produced in all animals killed 

 by the carnivora ; and if so, is a merciful provision by our 

 benevolent Creator for lessening the pain of death. Turn- 

 ing round to relieve myself of the weight, as he had one 

 paw on the back of my head, I saw Ins eyes directed to 

 Meta^wi, who was trying to shoot him. at a distance of 

 ten or fifteen yards. His gun, a flint one, missed fire in 

 both barrels ; the lion immediately left me, and, attacking 

 Mebalwe, bit his thigh. Another man, whose life I had 



