Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-11-14
THE STARVING LION.

IdE S1AhF1NU L1UN.
The following incident is from DR.. Way
lands Memoirs ofthe missionary Judson
published few days since. 1t occurred
during the period of Mr.. Judson's crue
persecution by the Burman authorities
After Mr.. Judson had been about {
month in the loathsome inner prison, b,
was attacked by slow fever, which
threatened to destroy his life. His guar
dian angel was, as ever, on the alert bu
it was in vain that she entreated permits
sion to rebuild his room in the prison
yard. About this time the poor sufferers
were astonished by most singular &C
cession to their numbers. Something
like year previous to the commencement
of the war, the king had received from
some foreigner present of lion. The
noble beast had been particular favor.
ito with him, and an object of great in
terest at court. But it was now wills.
pered about, and with mysterious mean
ing in the whispers, that the English bore
a lion upon their standard.
The disgraceful defeat of Bandools, his
alarming final fall, and the utter inefti-
cheney of the hardest Bulman troops be-
fore these charmed warriors, were matters
of grave conference, and strange chances
were cast toward the kings noble pet ;
but for time no one dared to speak.
The matter was first preached by the
queens brother, an ignorant. brutal fell
low, who owed his elevation from the lot
of common fishmonger entirely to his
clever, intriguing sisters power over the
king. He was positive that the English
had demoniac ally in the palace, in the
shape of this regal-looking beast, which
had entirely won the heart of the king.
The pakan-woon, a man of more sense,
but, like all Burmans, superstitious, Sec
onded his opinions; and other counsellors,
now that they burst speak; came in with
floods of argument and testimony. The
king repealed the idea Of any connection
between his favorite and the enemy as
absurd in the extreme, but at last con-
scented to the animals being sent to the
death prison, though he expressly stipu-
lated that it should not be slain without
his order. The queen S brother, however,
gave secret directions to the keepers not
to furnish the animal with food: and so
merciless was he well known to be in the
execution of his vengeance, that they
dared not disobey him, even to please
the king.
The cage, all newly ironed and barrica.
ded, as though some unusual resistance
was expected, was placed in the prison
yard, close against the principal build
ing. And now commenced new and
fearful scene of misery. The unhappy
prisoners had seen men starved, and
beaten and smothercd, and strangled tc
death, then dragged by the feet from the
door, and thrust, like dogs, into some
shallow pit, or left for wild dogs to de.
YOUR, and they thought they had gained
a fearful familiarity witch every species Of
wretchcdness. But there was something
almost supernatural in this new horror
gradually starved lion. Day after day
the noble beast writhed in the pangs OF
hunger, parched with thirst, and bruised
and bleeding in his fearful struggles
while his roarings seemed to shake the
prison to its foundations, and sent thrill
of indescribable terror to the hearts of the
occupants.
The ,jailor said it was the British lion
Intellectually struggling against the con.
querlng Burmans; though even his
facetious features were somewhat elongated
by stuperstitous fears. Sometimes q
compassionate woman would steal to the
cage after dark, and thrust morsel o.
food between the bars but it was necess.
arily trifie to the powerful beast, anG
served only to increase his ravlngs. Al
other times one of the keepers would
throw pals of water over him, which
would be greeted with almost human
shrieks of pleasure, though it only served
to lengthen for little the terrible term o
suffering. AT last the scene was over
The skeleton of the poor beast was drag
ged from its cage, and buried with more
care than many poor human Skeleton
had been before.
The next time Mrs. Judson came to tn,
prison door, and her husband crawlcd tt
meet her-crawled with the upper part o
his body, having his feet still attached tt
moveless bamboo-he had new plan t.
breach. He told her of the empty lion''
cage-what comfortable retreat Will,
the fever lasted, and begged her intercess
ion with the Governor for he had entreat
ed the comic jailor in vain. The g cat
refused to listen for moment to such al
insult to royalty. Mrs. Judson's appli
cation was successful and with feeling
of deep gratitude to,God for such mercy
the sick man was removed from his loath
some quarters to the better accommoda
tons of the lions cage.