STRIKING SCENE. 
233 
treated a few paces. As the fire began to blaze, 
indeed, we could distinctly see him pacing to and 
fro amongst the bushes on the edge of the river’s 
bank. 
He, moreover, forcibly reminded us of his pre¬ 
sence by cruelly lacerating a small dog belonging 
to one of the party, which had incautiously ap¬ 
proached him too closely. By a slight touch of 
his murderous paw he ripped up its body from head 
to foot: but, notwithstanding that its entrails draped 
on the ground, the poor creature managed to crawl 
to our fire, where it breathed its last in the course 
of a few seconds. It was a most touching sight to 
see the faithful animal wagging its tail in recogni¬ 
tion of its master, who was trying to replace the 
intestines, and to stop the flow of blood. 
The savage features of the natives, which received 
an unnaturally wild character as the glare of the 
half-blazing fire fell upon them; the dying dog, 
with its wild master stooping despondingly over 
him; the mutilated carcase of the zebra; and the 
presence of the lion, within a few paces of us, pre¬ 
sented one of the most striking scenes it was ever 
my fortune to witness. 
Delegorgue, also, testifies to the fact of the natives 
of particular districts looking on the lion rather as 
a blessing than a curse. 
“ People,” he says, ec who, by reason of disastrous 
wars, are compelled to live on the produce of the 
ground, or those who, like the Bushmen, exist 
solely by the chase, are far from showing hatred to 
the lion. To these he is in no way hurtful; but, 
