THRILLING ADVENTURES IN AFRICA. 
181 
was going round the end of a hill on their way home to the village, 
there was one of the lordly brutes sitting quietly, as though he had 
purposely planted himself there to enjoy their defeat, and wish them 
''Good-day.’’ It was but a little distance from Livingstone, who, 
raising his gun, fired both barrels. "He is shot! He is shot!” is the 
joyful cry, and the people are about to rush in; but their friend 
warns them, for he sees the tail raised in anger. 
He is just in the act of ramming down his bullets for another 
fire, when he hears a shout of terror, and sees the lion in the act 
of springing on him. He is conscious only of a blow that makes 
him reel and fall to the ground; of two glaring eyes, and hot breath 
upon his face; a momentary anguish, as he is seized by the shoulder 
and shaken as a rat by a terrier; then comes a stupor, which was 
afterwards described as a sort of drowsiness, in which there was no 
sense of pain nor feeling or terror, although there was a perfect 
consciousness of all that was happening. 
A DANGEROUS SITUATION. 
Being thus conscious, as one in a trance might be, Livingstone 
knew that the lion had one paw on the back of his head, and turn¬ 
ing round to relieve himself of the pressure, he saw the creature’s 
eyes directed to Mebalwe, who, at a distance of ten or fifteen yards, 
was aiming his gun at him. It missed fire in both barrels, and 
immediately the native teacher was attacked by the brute and bitten 
in the thigh. Another man also, who attempted to spear the lion, 
was seized by the shoulder; but then the bullets which he had 
received took effect, and, with a quiver through all his huge frame, 
the cattle-lifter rolled over on his side dead. 
All this occurred in a few moments; the death-blow had been 
inflicted by Livingstone before the lion sprang upon him in the blind 
fury of his dying efforts. No less than eleven of his teeth had pene¬ 
trated the flesh of his assailant’s arm, and crushed the bone; it was 
long ere the wound was healed, and all through life the intrepid 
missionary bore the marks of this deadly encounter, and felt its 
effects in the injured limb. The tartan jacket which he had on, 
wiped, as he believed, the virus from the lion’s teeth, and so pre- 
