Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-11-17
A Lion in the Path.

| thrillingly graphic as anything we have me-
| with for some time.
Whilst breakfast was preparing, / proceed
| ed to take saunter down to the pool, not with
out some faint hopes of bath, though fear
ed our horses, to say nothing of the other ami
mails who had visited it during the night might
have mudded it too much for that However
resolved to try, and throwing my MIME into
the hollow of my arm, and cooking my wide
awake over my eyes, lounged down a path
| among the bushes, now we'll beaten by the feet
of men and horses The latter found up to
their bellies in the pool, enjoying themselves
as completely as the flies would let them but
as the water looked uncommonly turbid. [
thought would skirt along little to the left
and look for cleaner spot and so, climbing
short steep, covered with long grass and un-
derwood. pushed aside some branches that
lntervened between me and a small clear space
OF shorter turf, and-to my very intense aston
Ishment, though must say not at that mo-
ment to my dsmay, / was so used to the sight
OF them-found myself within a few yards of
one of the finest male lions ever saw, and who
was engaged with look of grave patrarchal
lnterestln in watching the movements of the horses
below-doubtlesS selecting one for his break
fast. Have you not seen Landseer's etching
OF the lion in the old Tower Menagerie ? In
exactly the same attitude, still and unmoving,
like noble statue, stood this neighbor of mine :;
and for few seconds remained really lost in
admiration of the grand beauty of the tableau'
he presented.
1t was, however, necessary to decide on some
line of action Immediately | could not help
hitting him if | choose to fire, but if did not
Kill him outright with one shot, he was so close
to me that could hardly hope to escape with
out an ugly brush. Surely this was case in
which discretion would be the better part of
valor and as be was so absorbed in the con-
temptation of the horses below that he he had
not yet noticed me, concluded" Gas Jona-
than would say) to steal off as | came. All |!
that dry twig that would place itself in the
way OF my very first retrograde footstep -
The sharp crackle affected what the more sub
dued noise of previous movements had not
done, and with short startled growl, the beast
swung himself round and in second was star
ing at me with look which said, "Hullo !
who are you ?" as plainly as look could speak
lnstinctively threw my rifle forward, cooking
it at the same moment, and some seconds of
perfect immovableness on each side ensued du-
ring which was trying to make out whether
he would charge or not. The study of physi-
ognomy is doubtless pleasant enough on the
whole !; but when your subject is a big male
lion, and the question depending on the study
whether you shall be summarily smashed" or
let alone, why, | confess it becomes las Mr..
Weller says too exciting to be pleasant
How | studied every feature, trying to de-
tect change of some sort which might give
me a clue 1t came at last he gradually
lowered his head, and by the wigglingn mo-
ton of his hind quarters which | could lust
spy over his shoulder saw he was gathering
his hind legs under him-a sure Indication
What odd things come into peoples minds in
moments of peril That movement, brought
to my recollection most wildly bitterly para-
lei scene i'll my aunt's garden at Harrow where
| watched her cat gathering herself up in au
exactly similar way to pounce on wretched
sparrow.
The next moment he dashed at me with
hoarse snarl, which sounded as though giant
had drawn the bow suddenly across the strings
of stupcndous violonceo fired as he rush
ed in, aiming as we'll as could at the middle
of his forehead. AS I did so, / was swept
down with the force of an express train, and
lOl d lCh SCtOItiS lOSl COuSClOuSupSS.
The first thing | was sensible of, as soon as
| began to get my senses together, was the
clear strong voice Of " calling to me in
the most placid though earnest manner:
Lie perfectly still, Walter its your only
chance"
How my heart leaped at the voice Help
was at hand, but the very words that announc-
cd it at the same time pointed out my extreme
danger it needed only the most moderate ey-
ercse of my returning faculties to understand
why
| was lying on my face among the long grass
at the top of the little steep have mentioned
could see nothing, but could feel the lion
close to me. | could hear his deep, short, an
CRY breath, like StaccatO purrS of an enormous
cat-cOuld detect q smacking noise, which |
afterwards found arose from his licking at a
stream of blood which flowed down the side of
his nose from deep sore on his forehead Civ
en- him by my ball-nay, | could feel his huge
tail, as he rolled it angrily across from side to
side, rest for moment Oh my back now and
then
The bitter anguish of those few years of mo-
mcnts-well, you can guess all that Present
ly | heard the crack of a rifle on my left
sharp whistle close to my head, and thud"
on my right, as the shot told among the fur,
succeeded by another short, sharp snarl louder
than the first-anothcr crack, a sensation like
a red hot wire across my neck, (being at the
bottom of the slope they could but just sight
the lion over my head, and N had fired
a quarter of an inch too low another furious
snarl, and then u rOar-such roar-within q
yard OF my tympanum never heard such q
sound out of anything, living or dead then
three more shots close together, and hustle
at my side, which sounded like my neighbor
settling down among the grass and bushes
" Now roll roll for your life !" shouted
Ms clear voice again. | was saved the
trouble-the dying brute in his commissions,
giving me kick with a hind leg which sent me
tiying down the Stccn out Of the reach OF fur.