218 
THE LION. 
But if, on the contrary, the lion’s broadside be 
exposed to yonr view, the best point at which to 
aim is perhaps the shoulder, as a ball through the 
latter, though it may fail to kill, will most assuredly 
cripple the beast. Many will say, “Fire behind the 
shoulder, in the region of the heart.” But should 
you do so, and if the ball goes wide of that organ, 
it will probably have little more immediate effect 
than if directed against a brick wall; and however 
badly wounded the lion may be, the chances are 
he forthwith charges his assailant. Even if the 
projectile penetrates the heart, death does not 
always ensue so rapidly as to prevent him from 
attacking you. 
The lion is exceedingly tenacious of life. Were 
other evidence wanting of this being the case, that 
of Major Delamaine’s, in his description of the two 
interesting hunts recorded in a preceding chapter, 
would alone be sufficient. On both of these occa¬ 
sions, as may be remembered, the beasts were 
literally riddled with balls before life was extinct. 
Gerard testifies to the like effect. After telling 
us “ that the lion would seem to be possessed of a 
charmed life,” he goes on to say :—“ Whatever the 
number of balls may be that have hit him, he does 
not die until the heart or brain is pierced, and to 
penetrate the latter is no easy matter, for parts of 
the skull are so thick as actually to flatten the balls. 
On making the autopsy of the lion of Bone, I dis¬ 
covered that the second bullet had struck the 
os frontis, without breaking it. It had flattened on 
the bone, as large as the palm of my hand, and 
