HABITS OF THE IJON. 12/ 



a scratch on Mr. O.'s hand. The horse on feeling the Hon 

 on him sprang away, and the rider, caught by a wait-a-bit 

 thorn, was brought to the ground and rendered insensible. 

 His dogs saved mm. Another English gentleman (Captain 

 Codrington) was surprised in the same way, though not 

 hunting the Hon at the time, but turning round he shot him 

 dead in the neck. By accident a horse belonging to Cod- 

 rington ran away, but was stopped by the bridle catching 

 a stump ; there he remained a prisoner two days, and 

 when found the whole space around was marked by the 

 footprints of lions. They had evidently been afraid to 

 attack the haltered horse from fear that it was a trap. 

 Two lions came up by night to within three yards of oxen 

 tied to a waggon, and a sheep tied to a tree, and stood 

 roaring, but afraid to make a spring. On another occasion 

 one of our party was lying sound asleep and unconscious 

 of danger between two natives behind a bush at Mashue ; 

 the fire was nearly out at their feet in consequence of all 

 being completely tired out by the fatigues of the previous 

 day ; a Hon came up to. within three yards of the fire, and 

 there commenced roaring instead of making a spring ; 

 the fact of their riding-ox being tied to the bush was the 

 only reason the Hon had for not following his instinct, and 

 making a meal of flesh. He then stood on a knoll three 

 hundred yards distant, and roared all night ; and con- 

 tinued his growling as the party moved off by daylight 

 next morning. 



Nothing that I ever learned of the lion would lead me to 

 attribute to it either the ferocious or noble character 

 ascribed to it elsewhere. It possesses none of the nobility 

 of the Newfoundland or St. Bernard dogs. With respect 

 to its great strength there can be no doubt. The immense 

 masses of muscle around its jaws, shoulders, and forearms, 

 proclaim tremendous force. They would seem, however, 

 to be inferior in power to those of the Indian tiger. Most 

 of those feats of strength that I have seen performed by 

 lions, such as the taking away of an ox, were not carrying, 

 but dragging or trailing the carcase along the ground ; 

 they have sprung on some occasions on to the hind- 

 quarters of a horse, but no one has ever seen them on the 

 withers of a giraffe. They do not mount on the hind- 

 quarters of an eland even, but try to tear him down with 

 their claws. Messrs. Oswell and Vardon once saw three 

 lions endeavouring to drag down a buffalo, and they were 



