NIGRITIA. 



837 



Park jiiceiintr the Lion. 



hours, — by degrees appioacning closer and 

 closer ; and, at length, he made a dreadful 

 spring on his supposed prey, and was precipi- 

 tated 10 the bottom of the pit. The Kabsha- 

 rians now ruslied to the spo'*, and before he 

 could recover himself, dispatched him with 

 their spears." 



Mr. Park gives us the following account, 

 in his first expedition to Africa; — "As we 

 were crossing a large open plain, where there 

 were a few scattered bushes, my guide, who 

 was a little way before me, wheeled his horse 

 round in a moment, calling out something in 

 the P"'oulah language, which I did not under- 

 stand. 1 inquired, in Mandingo, what he 

 meant ; wava billi billi (a very large lion), 

 said he, and made signs for me to ride away ; 

 but my horse was too much fatigued ; so we rode slowly past the bush, Irom which the ani- 

 mal had given us the alarm. Not seeing anything myself, however, I thought my guide had 

 been mistaken, when the Foulah suddenly put his hand to his mouth, exclaiming Soubah an 

 alldid, (God preserve us !) and, to my great surprise, I then perceived a large red lion, at a 

 short distance from the bush, with his head crouched between his fore paws. I expected he 



would instantly spring upon me, and instinctive- 

 ly pulled my feet from (he stirrups, to throw 

 myself on the ground, that my horse might 

 become the victim, rather than myself. But 

 it is probable the lion was not hungry, for he 

 quietly suflered us to pass, tliough we were 

 fairly within his reach. My eyes were so riv- 

 eted upon this sovereign of beasts, that I found 

 it impossible to remove them, until we were 

 at a considerable distance." 



That beautiful animal, the Giraffe, or Can e- 

 lopard, is also common, according to the follow- 

 ing relation of Denham ; — " On the 11 th, we 

 arrived at Showy, after a very tedious march, 

 and losing our way for 3 hours ; the woods are, 

 indeed, most intricate and difficult ; and, as 

 all the Shouaas had moved up towards Barca 

 Gana, we could get no guides. AVe saw 5 

 Giraffes to-day, to my great delight ; they 

 were the first I had seen alive, and, notwith- 

 standing my fatigue and the heat, Bella! and 

 myself chased them for half an hour ; we kept 

 within about 20 yards of them. They have a 

 very extraordinary appearance, from their be- 

 ing so low behind, and move awkwardly, drag- 

 ging, as it were, their hinder logs after them ; 

 they are not swift, and are unlike any figure of 

 them I ever met with." 



The Hippopolnmvs is also found here, in 

 great numbers ; and a remarkable trait in their 

 manners, is thus described by the same trav- 

 eler ; — "It was intended, this evening, to 

 have killed a hippopotamus, an animal which 

 exists in great numbers in the lake, on the bor- 

 der of which wo were encamped ; Init a vio- 

 disappointment, prevented our witnessing so novel a 



Giraffe. 



Htppopotamt til [he laiic. 



lent thunderstorm, to our great 



