The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1838-10-02

moment prevented him from taking steady aim.
No eXertons on the part of the officers could
now force The terrified eephan. to face his fierce
| foe, and they found themselves reduced to the
necessity of dsinounting. Determined, howev-
er, to come to still closer quarters with the form-
dable king ofqIadrupeds Capt. Woodhouse took
the desperate resolution TO proceed on foot IN
quest of him and after searching for some
time, he observed the lion indistinclly through
the bushes, and discharged his rifle at him, hut
he pretty well convinced that he had not hit
| him, for he saw the lion retire with the utmost
coinposure into ure tbicker parts OF the brake
The two lieutenahts, who had remnined at the
outside of the jungle, joined their companion on
! hearing the report OF Iris gun.
| The weather ntoeraby sultry. Alter
vainly spending considerable time in creeping
| through the grass and bushes, with the hope OF
discovering the place of the lions retreat, they
concluded he had passed quite through the jun
gle aud gone off, in the opposite direction. Ke-
solved MOTTO let their game escape, the lieuten-
ants retained ttalhe elephant, and Immediately
proceeded rouFtthe jingle, expecting to discover
the route whicEtIiey conjectured The lion had
taken C'Yifap.l Nv dollhouse, however, remained
in the thq&etfi and ais he could discern The print
of the aaisnns's feet on ihe ground, he boldly re
solved TO fol,@Shp the track "a: all hazards. The
Indian gafneailfasyr, who continued with his COM
mander, ut GAsspied the lou in the cover, and
pointed hiru out to the captain, who fired, but
unfortunately missed his mark. There was now
no alternative but to retreat and load his rifle
Having retired TO distance, nc was joined by
Lieut.. Delamniil, who had dismounted from his
elephant on hearing the report ofthe gun. This
expected meeting increased the captains hopes
of ultimate success He lost no time in pointing
out to the lieutenant the place where he would
probably find the lion, and said he would be up
with hi u in moment o. TWO.
Lieut.. Delamain, on going eight or ten PAGES
down sheep track, got sigh, mt the lion, and
instantly discharged his rifle ut him. This irri-
ated the mighty lord OF the woods, and he rush
eel towards him. breaking through the bushes ITO
use the Captains own words) sin most masni-
ficent style' Capt. Woodhouse now found
himself placed in awkward situation. He
was uwnre that if lac retraced his steps in order
to put himself in n better position for attack he
would just get TO the point from which the lien-
tenant had fired, and TO which The lion was max
ing, wherefore he instantly'resolved 10 stand STILL
IN the hopes that the lion would pass by, at dis
lance of four yards so, without perceiving him
as the intervening cover was thick and strong
In this, however, he was most unfortunately de-
ceived for the enraged lion saw him in pasSng
and flew at him with dreadful roar. In an in
slant, as though il had been houe by stroke of
lightning the rife was broken and thrown out
of the captains hand, his left arm at the same
moment being seized by the claws, and his right
by the teeth, ot his desperate antagonist. While
these two brave md sturdy combatants, whose
courage none could staip," were yet standing in
nOrtaI cOnTtict, Lieutenant DIai. an ran " ana
discharged his piece full at the lion. This caus-
ed the lion and the captain to come to background
together, while Lieutenant Delamain FASTENED
out of the jungle to relond his gun. The lion
now began to craunch the captains arm. but as
the brave fellow, Notwithstanding the pain Which
this lorrd process caused, had the cool deter
mined resolution to lie still, the lor,lly savage
let the arm drop out Of his moutl, and quietly
placed himself in Il COUGHING position, with both
his paws upon the thighs OF his fallen foe.-
While things were in this untoward situation,
the captain unthinkingy raised his hand to sup
port his head, which he got placed ill at ense in
the fall No sooner however had he moved it,
than the lion seized the lacerrted arm Il second
time, craunchetl it as brlOrS, an fracinred the
bone still higher mp. This additional memento
morn from the lion was not lost upon Capt,
Woodhouse it Immediately put him in mind
that he had committed an act of mprlidence in
stirring. The notionless state in which he per-
severed after this broad hint showed that he
had learned to profitby painful lesson.
He now lay bleeding and disabled under tie
foot of mighty and irrated enemy. Death
was close upon him, armed with every terror
calculated TO appal the heart of PROSTATE and
defenceless man. just as this world, and all It's
fitting honors, was the point of vanishing
forever, he heard two flint reports of II gun,
which he thought sounded from distance bun
he tolnlly alta loss to account for them. lie
learned after the affair was over, thnt the reports
were caused by his frienl at the outside of the
Jungle, who had flashed off some powder in or
der to be that the nipples of his rifle were
clean.
The two eutenants were now hasteuing to
assistance, and he heard the welcome sound OF
feet approaching /; but, unfortun ately, they were
in the wrong direction, MS the lion was beiwixt
them end him. Aware that if his friends fired,
the balls would hit him, afterthcy passed through
the lioh's body, Captain Woodhouse quietly pro-
nounced, in low and subdued tone, 'to the 9th
err sitle = Hearing the voice they looked in the
direction from whence it proceeded, and to their
horror saw their brave conrade in his utmost
need Having made circuit, they cautiously
came up on the other side, and Lieutenant De-
lamain, whose GOODNESS in encounters with wild
beasts had always been conspicuous, from dis
lance of about n dozen yards, fred at the lion oy-
er the person of the PROSTATE warrior.
The lion merely quivered; his heal dropped
upon the ground, ana in am instant he lay dead
on his side close to his intended victim.