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could not decide from what quarter it came. The found 
of the lion’s voice does not bear the lead refemblance to 
thunder, as M. de Buffon, tom.ix. p. 22, affirms it does. 
In fait, it appeared to me to be neither peculiarly piercing 
nor tremendous; yet, from its (low prolonged note, joined 
with nocturnal darknefs, and the terrible idea one is apt 
to form of this animal, it made me fhudder, even in fuch 
places as I had an opportunity of hearing it without hav¬ 
ing the lead occafion for fear.” 
Dr. Sparman, with evident propriety, endeavours to 
detrait confiderably from the fabled chara&er of courage 
and generofity aferibed to the lion. “ It is not in mag¬ 
nanimity, (fays this writer,) as many will have it to be, 
but in an infidious difpofition, blended with a certain de¬ 
gree of pride, that the general character of the lion con- 
fids ; though hunger mud naturally have the effeit of 
now and then infpiring fo ftrong and nimble an animal 
with uncommon intrepidity and courage. Moreover, 
being accudomed always itfelf to kill its own food, and 
that with the greateft eafe, as meeting with no refidance, 
and even frequently to devour it reeking in its blood, it 
cannot but be eafily provoked, and acquire a greater turn 
for rapacity than for generofity: but, on the other hand, 
not being accudomed to meet with any refidance, it is no 
Wonder that, when it does, it flioukl fometimes appear 
faint-hearted and cred-fallen. A yeoman, a man of vera¬ 
city, (Jacob Kok, of Zeekoe-river,) related to me an ad¬ 
venture he had, in thefe words :—One day, walking over 
his lands with his loaded gun, he unexpectedly met with 
a lion. Being an excellent diot, he thought himfelf pretty 
certain, in the pofition he wits in, of killing it, and there¬ 
fore fired his piece. Unfortunately the charge had been 
for fome time in the gun, and was damp; fo that his 
piece hung fire, and the ball, falling fiior.t, entered the 
ground clofe to the lion. In confequence of this he was 
feized with' a panic, and took directly to his feet ; but 
being foon out of breath, and clofely purfued by the lion, 
lie jumped Upon a little heap of (tones, and there made a 
(land, prefenting the butt end of his gun to his adverfary, 
fully refolved to defend his life to the utmod. My friend 
could not take upon him to determine whether this pofi¬ 
tion intimidated the lion or not : it had, however; inch 
an effect upon the lion, that he likewife made a (land ; 
and, what was (till more fingular, laid himfelf down at the 
difiance of a few paces from the heap of (tones, feemingly 
quite unconcerned. The fportfman, in the mean while, 
did not dare to ftir from the fpot: befides, in his flight, 
lie had the misfortune to lofe his powder-horn. At length, 
after waiting about half an hour, the lion rofe up, and at 
firft went off (tep by (top ; but asToon as it got to fome 
-diftance, it began to bound away at a great rate. 
“It is fingular, (continues Dr. Sparman,) that the 
lion, which, according.to many, always kills his prey in- 
ffantly, if it belongs to the brute creation, is reported 
frequently, although provoked, to content himfelf with 
merely wounding the human fpecies ; or at lead to wait 
fome time before he gives the fatal blow to the unhappy 
victim he has got under him. In feveral places through 
which I pafied, they mentioned to me by name a father 
and his two Tons, who were faid to be (till living, and 
who being on foot near a river on their effate in feared of 
a lion, theanimal, lying in ambufit, had rudied cut upon 
them, and throivn one of them under his feet: the two 
others, however, had time enough to (hoot the lion dead 
upon the (pot, as he lay acrofs the youth fo nearly and 
dearly related to them, but without having done him any- 
hurt. T myfelf law, near the upper part of Duyven-hock- 
river, an elderly Hottentot, who at that time bore under 
one eye and underneath his cheek-bone the ghaftly marks 
of the.bite of a lion, which did net think it worth his 
while to give him any other chaftifement for having, to¬ 
gether with his mailer, hunted him .with great intrepidity, 
though without fuccefs. The converiation ran every 
where in this part of the country upon one Beta, a farmer 
and captain in the militia, who had lain for fome time 
Vol. VII. No, 427. 
2.93 
under a lion, and had received feveral b'ruifes front the 
bead, having been at the (ante time a good deal bitten by 
him in one arm, as a token to remember him in future ; 
but, upon the whole, he confeflfed that his life was given 
him by this noble animal. The man was faid then to be 
living in the difiriCt of Artaquas-kloof.” 
At St.Catherine Cree’s church, Leadenhall-fireet, Lon¬ 
don, provifion is made, tinder the will of lir John Gager, 
who was lord-mayor in the year 1646, for a fermon to be 
annually preached on the 16th of November, in comme¬ 
moration of his happy deliverance from a lion which he 
met in a defert, as he was travelling in the Turkish do¬ 
minions, and which fuffered him to pafs unmolefied. The 
minifier is to have twenty (hillings for the fermon, the 
clerk two (hillings and fix-pence, and the fexton one (hil¬ 
ling. The fum of eight pounds fixteen (hillings and fix- 
pence is likewife to be difiributed among the neceffitous 
inhabitants, purfuant to the will of fir John. 
’ Sparman, in his remarks on the(e infiances of apparent 
clemency in the lion, obferves as follows : “I do not 
know rightly how to account for this merciful difpofition 
towards mankind. Does it.proceed from the lion’s greater 
refpedl and veneration for man, as being equal to, or even 
a mightier tyrant than, himfelf among the animal crea¬ 
tion ? or is it merely from the fame caprice which has 
fometimes ihduced, him not only to fpare the lives of men 
or brute creatures who have been given up to him for 
prey, but even to carefs them, and treat them with the 
greatefi kindnefs? Whims and freaks of this kind have 
perhaps in a great meafure acquired the lion its well- 
known reputation for generofity ; but I cannot allow this 
fpecious name, facred only to virtue, to be lavifhed upon 
a wild bead. Slaves, indeed, and wretches of fervile 
minds, are wont with this attribute to flatter.their greateft 
tyrants ; but with what (how of reafon can this attribute 
be beftowed upon the mofi powerful tyrant among qua¬ 
drupeds, becaufc it does not exercife an equal degree of 
cruelty upon all occafions ? That the lion does not, like 
the wolf, tiger, and fome other beads of prey, kill a great 
deal of game or cattle at one time, perhaps proceeds from 
this, that, while he is employed in attacking one or two 
of them, the remainder fly farther than it accords with 
the natural indolence of this bead: to follow them. If 
this be called gencrofly, a cat may be (tiled, generous with 
refpedt to the rats; as I have Teen this creature in the 
fields among a great number of the latter, where fire could 
have made a great havock at once, feize on a Tingle one 
only, and run off with it.” 
The lion’s drength, Dr. Sparman admits, is very great. 
This animal, he (ays, was oncefeen at the Cape o( Good 
Hope, to take an heifer in his mouth, and, though tiie 
legs dragged on the ground, yet Teemed to carry her off 
with the lame eafe as a cat does d rat. It likewife leaped 
over a broad dike with her, without the lead difficulty. 
A buffalo perhaps would be too cumberfome for this bead 
ofprey, notwithstanding his drength, thus to feize and carry 
off. Two yeomen, upon whofe veracity I can depend, 
•gave me the following account relative to this matter. 
•Being; hunting: near Biofiiiefman,-river with feveral Hot- 
tentots, they perceived affion dragging a buffalo from the 
•plain to a neighbouring wood. .They, however, footi 
forced it to quit its prey, in order to make a prize oi_it 
themfelves; and found that the lion ha.d had the (ygacity 
to take out the buffalo's large and unwieldy entrails, in. 
order to be able the eader. to make off with the. eatable 
part of the carcafe. The lion’s drength, however, is faid 
not to be (efficient alone to. get the better of fo large and 
drong an animal as the buffalo ; but, in order to make it 
his prey, this fierce creature is obliged to have recourie 
botli to agility and firatagem ; infomuch, that, dealing 
on the buffalo, it fadens With both its paws upon the 
nodrils and mouth of the bead, and keeps fqueezing them 
clofe together, till at length the creature is (trangled, wea¬ 
ried out, and dies. For the figure of the buffalo, and jts 
natural hiftory, fee the article Bos, . vol. iii. p. 223, 224. 
4 F The 
