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

TdE STARVING LION.
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 S cruel
persecution by the Burman authorities
After Mr.. Judson had been about a
month in the loathsome inner prison, be
was attacked by a slow fever, which
threatened to destroy his life. His guar
dian angel was, as ever, on the alert but
it was IN vain that she entreated permis-
sion to rebuild his room in the prison
yard. About this time the poor sufferers
were astonished by most singular ac-
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 whis.
pered about, and with mysterious mean
ing in the whispers, that the English bore
lion upon their standard.
The disgraceful defeat of Bandools, his
alarming final fall, and the utter ineffi-
cheney of the hardest Burman troops be-
fore these charmed warriors, were matters
of grave conference, and strange glances
were cast toward the kings noble pet :;
but for time no one dared to speak.
The matter was first broached by the
queens brother, an ignorant. brutal fel-
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 repelled the idea of any connection
between his favorite and the enemy as
absurd in the extreme, but at last con-
sented 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 be we'll 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 a new and
fearful scene of misery. The unhappy
prisoners had seen men starved, and
beaten and smothered, and strangIed to
death, then dragged by the feet from the
door, and thrust, like dogs, into some
shallow pit, or left for wild dogs to de-
vour, and they thought they had gained
fearful familiarity wich every species of
wretchedness. But there was something
almost supernatural in this new horror
a gradually starved lion. Day after day,
the noble beast writhcd 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 indeScriba BILE terror to the hearts of the
occupants.
The .iailor said it was the British lion
Intellectually struggling against the con-
quering Burmans though even his
facetious features weresomewhat elongated
by stuperstitous fears. Sometimes a
compassionate woman would steal to the
cage after dark, and thrust a morsel of
food between the bars /: but it was necess-
arily tritie to the powerful beast, and
served only to increase his ravIngs. At
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 OF
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 the
prison door, and her husband crawled to
meet her-crawled with the upper part OF
his body, having his feet still attached to
moveless bamboo-he had new plan to
breach. He told her of the empty lion's
cage-what comfortable retreat while
the fever lasted, and begged her intercess-
ion with the Governor for he had entreat-
ed the comic jailor in vain. The :. cat
refused to listen for moment to such an
insult to royalty. Mrs. Judson's appli.
cation was successful; and with feelings
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.