AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
35 
warmer than within the tropics, when the sun has retired 
to the northern hemisphere. He saw bands of two or three 
hundred quaggas, all travelling southward. They are 
followed by Lions, who slaughter them night by night; 
and what the Lions leave of the carcases of these unfortu- 
nate animals, is devoured by the vultures and the Bushmen. 
Even the buffalo, whose forehead, when he is of mature 
age, is completely covered with a rugged mass of horn as 
hard as a rock, the fibres of whose muscles are like so 
many bundles of cords, and whose hide is little inferior in 
strength and thickness to that of the rhinoceros — even he 
is not safe from the attacks of the Lion. “ He lies waiting 
for him in ambush till a convenient opportunity offers for 
springing upon the buffalo, and fixing his fangs in his 
throat; then sticking his paw into the animal’s face, he 
twists round the head, and pins him to the ground by the 
horns, holding him in that situation till he expires from 
loss of blood.” 
It has been often stated by Mr. Pringle, upon the autho- 
rity of a chief of the Bechuanas, that the Lion, after he 
has made his fatal spring upon the giraffe, when he comes 
to drink at the pools, is carried away for miles, fixed on 
the neck of that fleet and powerful creature, before his 
victim sinks under him. 
To the traveller in Africa, the Lion is formidable, not 
at night only; he lies in his path, and is with difficulty 
disturbed to allow a passage for his wagons and cattle, even 
when the sun is shining with its utmost brilliancy: or he 
is roused from some bushy place on the road-side, by the 
indefatigable dogs which always accompany a caravan. 
Mr. Burchell has described, with great spirit, an encounter 
of this nature: — 
“ The day was exceedingly pleasant, and not a cloud 
was to be seen. For a mile or two we travelled along the 
banks of the river, which in this part abounded in tall 
mat-rushes. The dogs seemed much to enjoy prowling 
about and examining every bushy place, and at last met 
with some object among the rushes which caused them to 
set up a most vehement and determined barking. We ex- 
plored the spot with caution, as we suspected, from the 
peculiar tone of their bark, that it was what it proved to 
be, Lions. Having encouraged the dogs to drive them 
out, a task which they performed with great willingness, 
we had a full view of an enormous black-maned Lion and 
a Lioness. The latter was seen only for a minute, as she 
made her escape up the river, under concealment of the 
rushes; but the Lion came steadily forward, and stood 
still to look at us. 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 the 
distance of only a few yards from him, most of us being on 
foot, and unarmed, without any visible possibility of escap- 
ing. I had given up my horse to the hunters, and was on 
foot myself; but there was no time for fear, and it was 
useless to attempt avoiding him. I stood well upon my 
guard, holding my pistols in my hand, with my finger 
upon the trigger, — and those who had muskets kept them- 
selves prepared in the same manner. But at this instant, 
the dogs boldly flew in between us and the Lion, and sur- 
rounding him, kept him at bay, by their violent and reso- 
lute barking. The courage of these faithful animals was 
most admirable; they advanced up to the side of the huge 
beast, and stood making the greatest clamour in his face, 
without the least appearance of fear. The Lion, conscious 
of his strength, remained unmoved at their noisy attempts, 
and kept his head turned towards us. At one moment, 
the dogs perceiving his eyes thus engaged, had advanced 
close to his feet, and seemed as if they would actually 
seize hold of him; but they paid dearly for their impru- 
dence, for, without discomposing the majestic and steady 
attitude in which he stood fixed, he merely moved his paw, 
and at the next instant I beheld two lying dead. In doing 
this, he made so little exertion that it was scarcely percep- 
tible by what means they had been killed. Of the time 
which we had gained by the interference of the dogs, not 
a moment was lost; we fired upon him; one of the balls 
went through his side just between the short ribs, and the 
blood immediately began to flow, but the animal still re- 
mained standing in the same position. We had now no 
doubt that he would spring upon us; every gun was 
instantly reloaded; but happily we were mistaken, and 
were not sorry to see him move quietly away; though I 
had hoped in a few minutes to have been enabled to take 
hold of his paw without danger. 
“ This was considered by our party to be a Lion of the 
largest size, and seemed, as I measured him by compari- 
son with the dogs, to be, though less bulky, as large as an 
ox. He was certainly as long in body, though lower in 
stature; and his copious mane gave him a truly formidable 
appearance. He was of that variety which the Hottentots 
and boors distinguish by the name of the black Lion , on 
account of the blacker colour of the mane, and which is 
said to be always larger and more dangerous than the 
other, which they call the pale Lion, (vaal leeuw.) Of 
the courage of the Lion I have no very high opinion; but 
of his majestic air and movements, as exhibited by this 
animal, while at liberty in his native plains, I can bear 
testimony. Notwithstanding the pain of a wound, of 
which he must soon afterwards have died, he moved 
slowly away with a stately and measured step. 
“At the time when men first adopted the Lion as the 
emblem of courage, it would seem that they regarded great 
