THE STORY OF THE LION . 
78 
second or two, gave chase to the other, who, however, had profited by the time 
to remove himself, by a bare foot or so>, out of reach of the spring the enraged 
animal gave as it saw that one had so* far escaped. It then returned to- its last 
victim, not yet dead, took him up in its mouth, dropped him, tossed him from 
paw to paw as a cat does a mouse, and at last, as if wearied by so much unac¬ 
customed gentleness, it allowed its savage nature to gain the mastery, and with 
one crunch of its powerful jaw put him out of his pain.” The sole survivor 
of this tragedy, after having been besieged for hours in a tree, during which 
sir edwin Landseer’s world famous painting of a lion. 
he had a hairbreadth escape when descending to reach his gun, finally had the 
satisfaction of putting a bullet through the ribs of the lion. 
Lion-hunting, under any circumstances, must of necessity be a dangerous 
pursuit; but it may be followed to a certain extent with comparative immunity 
from harm by those who have the necessary nerve and coolness, coupled with 
sufficient knowledge of the habits of the animals. I consider the lion a far 
more dangerous animal to encounter than any other creature in South Africa. 
It is true, indeed, that a much greater number of casualties occur from 
buffalo-shooting than in lion-hunting, but for every lion that has of late years 
