The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-06-16
CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK.
DR.. Livingstone's Story of Lion

1t is well known that if one in a troop
of lions is killed, the others take the hint
and leave that part Of the country, So
the next time the herds were attacked, |
went with the people in order to encourage
them to rid themselves Of the annoyance
by destroying one of the narauders. We
found the lions on small hill about
quarter Of mile in length, and covered
with trees. A circle of men were formed
round it, and they gradually closed up,
ascending pretty near to each other. Be.
ing down on the plain below with native
schoolmastcr, named Mebalwe, a most ex-
cellent man, saw one of the lions sitting
on piece Of rock within the now enclosed
circle of men. Mebalwe fred at him be-
fore could, and the ball struck the rock
on which the animal was sitting He bit
at the spot struck, as dog does at stick
or stone thrown at him then leaping away.
broke through the opening circle and es-
capped unhurt. The men were afraid to
attack him perhaps on account of their
belief in witchcraft. When the circle was
reformed, we sawtwo other lions in it A:
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 coun-
try, they would have speared the lions in
their attempt to get ont. Seeing We could
not get them to kill one Of the lions, we
bent our footsteps towards the village in
going round the esd Of the hill however,
l saw one of the beasts sitting on piece
Of rock as before, but this time he had
little bush IN front Being about thirty
yards off, l took good aim at his body
through the bush, and fred both barrels
into it. The men then cried out. "He
is shot, he is shot !" Others cried, "He
has been shot by another man, to let us
60 to him !" l did not see any Que else
shoot at him, but l saw the lions tail
erected in anger behind the bush, and
turning to the people said, stop little
till l load again" When in the act of
ramming down the bullets heard a shout.
Starting and looking half round l saw the
lion just in the act of springing upon me,
l was upon little hight he caught my
shoulder as he sprang. and we both came
to the ground below together. Growing
horribly close to my ear, he shook me as
q terrier dog does rat. The shock pro-
duced a stupor similar to that which seem,
to be left by mouse after the first shake
of the cat 1t caused a sort Of drea miness
in which there Was no sense Of pain nor
feeling Of terror, though quite conscious of
all that Was happening. 1t was what
patients partially under the influence of
chloriform describe, who see all the ope.
rations but feel not the knife. This sin.
gnlar condition was not the result of any
mental process. The shake annihilated
fear, and allowed no sense of horror in
looking round on the beast. This peculiar
state is probably produced in all animals
killed by the carnivora and if 50, is a
mercifdl provision by our benevolent Gre
ator for lessening the pain ofdeath. Turn
ing round to relieve myself Of the weight,
as he had one paw on the back of my
head, i saw his eyes directed to Mebalwe
who was trying to shoot him at distance
of ten or fifteen yards. His gun, flint
one, missed fire in both barrels the lion
Immediately left me, and attacking Meb-
alive, bit his thigh. Another man whose
life l had saved before, after he had been
tossed by buffalo, attempted to spear the
lion while he was biting Mebalwe. He left
Mebalwe and caught this man by the shoul-
der, but at that moment the bullets he had
received took effect, and he fell down dead.
The whole was the work of few moments,
ani must have been his paroxysm ofdying
rage. In order to take out the charm
from him. the Bakatla on the following
day made huge bonfire over the carcass,
which was declared to be that of the larg.
est lion they had ever seen. Besides
craunching the bone into splintsrs, he left
eleven teeth-wounds on the upper part of
my arm.
A wound from this animals tooth re.
sembles q gun-shot wound it is generally
followed by great deal of sloughing and
discharge and pains are felt in the part
periodically ever afterwards. had on u
tartan Jacket on the occasion, and believe
that it wiped of all the virus from the
teeth that pierced the flesh. for my two
companions in this aifray have both suf.
fsred from the peculiar pains, while ! have