X 
EXCURSIONS FROM EL BOGOI 
2 33 
the comparative moisture of such cool heights, is the juniper, a 
conifer with foliage reminding one strongly of that of the 
“ arbor vitae ” though much less dense. Lesiat said that if I 
killed any elephants, not too far away, he would follow me to 
eat them on receiving news of my success. Where he had 
been lately encamped on the mountains was only just over the 
brow, near which they had killed the two I had heard about ; 
and he would, he said, on no account go down the slopes on 
the western side. The reason he gave for his objection to 
visiting that region was that it was infested with man-eating 
lions ; and he told me the following story as proof of this, and 
to account for his aversion to that part of the country. I give 
it just as he told it me. 
When he was a young man, he was once wandering there 
with a companion in search of honey—the usual occupation of 
these people. While pursuing their quest, he was suddenly 
sprung upon by a lion, which seized him by the head and began 
dragging him away. As it passed, with him in its mouth, close 
to a thick bushy tree, he (according to his own account) 
managed to get his head among the branches and thus delay 
his captor’s progress, at the same time calling to his companion 
for help. The latter let drive an arrow into the lion, which 
then transferred its attentions to him, letting go Lesiat. Lesiat, 
after having had his head in the beast’s mouth, did not care to 
pursue the controversy further, so ran away shouting and left 
his friend to be eaten. The lion, he explained, did not die. 
In proof of his story he showed me the scars on his head, 
which were plain enough. I pointed out that this must have 
happened a great many years ago, as he was now an elderly 
man ; but he maintained that the man-eater was still haunting 
the neighbourhood, and that it was not the only one that preyed 
on human beings in that part. 
