We Found The Lions On A Small Hill
About A Quarter Of A Mile In Length, And Covered With Trees.
A Circle Of Men Was Formed Round It, And They Gradually Closed Up,
Ascending Pretty Near To Each Other.
Being down below on the plain
with a native schoolmaster, named Mebalwe, a most excellent man,
I saw one of the lions sitting on a piece of rock within the now closed
circle of men.
Mebalwe fired at him before I could, and the ball struck
the rock on which the animal was sitting. He bit at the spot struck,
as a dog does at a stick or stone thrown at him; then leaping away,
broke through the opening circle and escaped unhurt. The men were afraid
to attack him, perhaps on account of their belief in witchcraft.
When the circle was re-formed, we saw two other lions in it;
but we were afraid to fire lest we should strike the men,
and they allowed the beasts to burst through also. If the Bakatla had acted
according to the custom of the country, they would have speared the lions
in their attempt to get out. Seeing we could not get them
to kill one of the lions, we bent our footsteps toward the village;
in going round the end of the hill, however, I saw one of the beasts
sitting on a piece of rock as before, but this time he had a little bush
in front. Being about thirty yards off, I took a good aim at his body
through the bush, and fired both barrels into it. The men then called out,
"He is shot, he is shot!" Others cried, "He has been shot by another man too;
let us go to him!" I did not see any one else shoot at him,
but I saw the lion's tail erected in anger behind the bush,
and, turning to the people, said, "Stop a little, till I load again."
When in the act of ramming down the bullets, I heard a shout. Starting,
and looking half round, I saw the lion just in the act of springing upon me.
I was upon a little height; he caught my shoulder as he sprang, and we both
came to the ground below together. Growling horribly close to my ear,
he shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock produced a stupor
similar to that which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake
of the cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was
no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite conscious of all
that was happening. It was like what patients partially under
the influence of chloroform describe, who see all the operation,
but feel not the knife. This singular condition was not the result of any
mental process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of horror
in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state is probably produced
in all animals killed by the carnivora; and if so, is a merciful provision
by our benevolent Creator for lessening the pain of death.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 20 of 572
Words from 10809 to 11334
of 306638
