IX 
THE LION 
315 
the man was dashed violently upon the ground, and 
the lion fell across his body ; after a few gasps it 
rolled over and died. The Tokroori never moved. 
The steamer was now run alongside the bank, 
and Monsieur Lafargue, with a number of men, 
quickly went ashore. Both the Tokroori and the 
lion were quite dead. The bullet had struck the 
animal in the chest, and had passed through the 
heart. The Tokroori’s arm was hanging from the 
hip! It had not only been completely dislocated at 
the shoulder by the blow, but it had been torn or 
struck downwards with such extreme force that the 
flesh had been entirely stripped off the ribs and the 
side; the arm at the extremity of this ruin was 
dangling upon the ground, hanging only to the 
hip by the flesh attached. The Tokroori had been 
killed on the spot by the shock to the system. 
This was a remarkable example of force. On the 
other hand, although the lion frequently uses this 
dreadful power of striking when in full charge, there 
are many cases when the animal seizes simply with 
teeth and claws, like a tiger or others of the race.^ 
I am of opinion that the act of striking would 
depend upon the position of the animal or person 
attacked. There can be no doubt that a lion could 
fell an ordinary bullock by a blow upon the neck, 
should it attack from one side, but it would be 
extremely unlikely that it would strike any horned 
animal upon the head, as it would risk serious 
1 A tiger possesses the power to deliver a tremendous blow, but 
it seldom exercises this force. 
