186 
THE LION. 
in front of ns, and we both instinctively stooped, 
or rather bobbed, behind it. The beast came on, 
however, round the side where Woodhouse was. He 
could oppose to him only an unloaded gun, which he 
had in his hand; but the lion seizing him at once by 
the wrist, and clawing him on the shoulder, he fell 
directly, the brute remaining on the top of him, 
biting his arm ! I had another barrel left, and I 
instantly placed the muzzle within two inches of his 
side, in the region of the heart, and discharged it. 
It was a heavy gun and of large bore (14), but he 
took no notice whatever of the shot. Woodhouse 
now said, c There is another barrel,’ alluding to 
one of his own. There were three guns lying around 
which I took up, and, one after the other, cocked 
and snapped at the beast’s head, but with no result. 
It afterwards appeared, however, that one of them, 
though really loaded, wanted the copper cap. 
“ I had now no other alternative than to proceed in 
quest of my other gun. To attempt’to knock a brute 
of that description on the head would, I well knew, 
have been worse than useless, his brain being too 
well protected to be at all affected by any blow in 
my power to inflict. 
“ It took me some little time to obtain and load my 
gun; for the elephant, hearing the roaring, had 
carried off Laing, and the other people had fled. I, 
however, at last got my 6 Joe Manton ’ fowling- 
piece. It was only of 19 bore, but carried ball well, 
and with this I returned towards the spot where 
Woodhouse lay. Laing accompanied me, but from 
his inexperience in the chasse , and want of expert- 
