230 
THE LION. 
That the lion may not be so bloody-minded as 
some other carnivorous animals—the fox, for in¬ 
stance, who when in the hen-roost not ^infrequently 
whisks off the heads of most of the inmates—is also 
perfectly true; for, as elsewhere said, he only kills 
when hungry, or when attacked, but never for the 
mere pleasure of killing; but let his stomach be 
empty, more especially in the night-time, and if 
man or beast crosses his path, be assured he will 
show no mercy. The Arabs, indeed, who are well 
acquainted with his disposition, have the adage :— 
“ When thou settest off on a journey never go alone, 
and always arm thyself as if thou wert going to meet 
a lion.” 
Though the world at large considers the lion a 
scourge, and one that it is desirable to get rid of by 
every possible means, yet, strange to say, certain 
of the Bushmen and other natives of Southern 
Africa look upon the beast rather as a benefactor 
than otherwise.* To these men he performs the 
same part as the jackal is said to do to the lion, 
* In certain parts of the African continent, indeed, the lion would 
seem to be actually protected, so to say, and that for a singular 
reason. “ There are also,” says Dr. Livingstone, when traversing 
countries bordering the Portuguese settlement on the West Coast, 
“a great many lions and hyenas, and there is no check upon the 
increase of the former, for the people, believing that the souls of 
c. iefs enter into them, never attempt to kill them ; they even believe 
that the chief may metamorphose himself into a lion, kill any one he 
chooses, and then return to the human form. Therefore when they 
see one they commence clapping their hands, which is the usual 
mi de of salutation here. The consequence is that lions and hyenas 
are so abundant, that we see little huts made in trees, indicating the 
places where some of the inhabitants have slept when benighted in 
toe fields.” 
