By the Rev. Canon J. E. Jackson i F.S.A. 349 



old enough to remember, and one which you may most of you have 

 heard of : the singular attack, one night, upon the horses of the 

 mail-coach by a lioness. The story is preserved in one of the old 

 magazines, those very useful repositories of current events. 



" 1816. Oct. 20th. The Exeter mail-coach, on its way to London, 

 was attacked this night at Winterslow Hut, near Salisbury, in a 

 most extraordinary manner. At the moment when the coachman 

 pulled up to deliver his bags, one of the leaders was suddenly seized 

 by a ferocious animal, which was perceived by the coachman and 

 guard, by the light of the lamps, to be a huge lioness. The horses 

 kicked and plunged violently, and it was with difficulty the coach- 

 man could prevent the carriage from being overturned. A large 

 mastiff dog came up and attacked her fiercely, on which she quitted 

 the horse and turned upon him. The dog fled, but was pursued and 

 killed by the lioness within about forty yards of the place. It 

 appears that the beast had escaped from a caravan that was standing 

 on the road-side, belonging to the proprietors of a menagerie, on 

 their way to Salisbury Fair. An alarm being given the keepers 

 pursued and hunted the lioness into a hovel under a granary : and 

 secured her so effectually, by barricading the place, as to prevent 

 her escape. The horse, when first attacked, fought with great 

 spirit, and if at liberty would perhaps have beaten down his antago- 

 nist with his fore-feet, but in plunging he embarrassed himself in 

 the harness. The lioness had attacked him in front, and springing 

 at his throat had fastened the talons of her fore-paws on each side 

 of his neck, close to the head, while the talons of her hinder feet 

 were forced into his chest. In this situation she hung, while the 

 blood was seen flying as if a vein had been opened by a lancet. The 

 horse attacked was the off-leader, which, as the mail drew up, stood 

 exactly abreast of the caravan from which the lioness made the 

 assault. Had the carriage been a little more advanced she would 

 probably have darted upon the coachman or guard. The coachman, 

 at first, proposed to alight and stab the lioness with a knife, but 

 was prevented by the remonstrance of the guard, who observed that 

 he would expose himself to certain destruction, as the animal, feeling 

 herself attacked, would turn upon him and tear him to pieces. The 



VOL. XXI. — NO. LXIII. & A 



