HIS BOAR. 
79 
laying him dead. When gorgod, tho lion falls fast asleep, and 
is then easily despatched. Hunting a lion with dogs involves 
very little dangor compared with hunting' tho Indian tigor, 
because tho dogs bring him out of covor and make him stand 
at bay, giving tho hunter plenty of time for a good deliberate 
shot. 
Whero gamo is abundant, there you may expect lions in 
proportionately largo numbers. They aro novcr soon in 
horde, but six or eight, probably ono family, occasionally 
hunt together. Ono is in much more dangor of being run 
over when walking in tho streets of London than ho is of 
being devoured by lio'ns in Africa, unless engaged in hunt- 
ing tho animal. Indeed, nothing that I havo scon or licaid 
about lions would constitute a barrier in the way of inon of 
ordinary courage and enterprise. 
Tho same fooling which has induced the modern painter 
to caricaturo tho lion has led tho sentimentalist to consider 
tho lion’s roar tho most terrific of all earthly sounds. Wo 
hoar of tho “ majestic roar of tho king of boasts.” It is, 
indeed, well calculated to inspire fear if you hoar it in 
combination with tho tremendously loud thunder of that 
country, on a night so pitchy dark that every flash of tho 
intensely vivid lightning loaves you with tho impression 
of stone-blindness, whilo tho rain pours down so fast that 
your fire goes out, leaving you without tho protection of 
even a troo, or tho chanco of your gun going off. But 
whon you aro in a comfortable houso or wagon, tho caso is 
very different, and you hoar tho roar of tho lion without 
®ny awe or alarm. Tho silly ostrich makes a noiso as loud ; 
yet ho never was feared by man. To talk of tho majostio 
noar of tho lion is mere majestic twaddle. On my men- 
tioning this fact some years ago, tho assertion was doubtod, 
80 I havo beer careful ever- sinco to inquire tho opinion* 
of Europeans, who havo heard both, if they could detect 
R ny difference betwoon tho roar of a lion and that of an 
Ostrich; tho invariable answer was, that they could not 
when tho animal was at any distance. Tho nativos assort 
