Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-01-27
The Sfapoatd.

The LION AND THE M1ss1oNARY--The "Royal
Beast" is an immense humbug Thousands of
years OF oppressive lying in his behalf, and the in
uences of law of poetry of fable of history, of her
aldry, and of art have crowned third rate sneak,
King of Beasts and fourth-rate fighter, Monarch of
the Forests. Cummings and Girard denied his le-
gtimacy of rule, and took each of them just jerk
at his crown the disposed to throw it elephant
wards and the other to toss it on the horn OF the
rhinoceros. The Scotch Missionary Livingston now
returns from q promenade of Africa half way up it
and entirely across it, and deposes the Lion from
his throne and rolls him down in common dirt, in q
fashion sweet to behold in the of any humbug,
but delectable in the instance OF a sham legal.
To beg lin with-it is not possible to distinguish be-
tween the of Ostrich and the roar of Lion!
Livingstone after years of familiarity with the sounds
made by this siest of Birds could tell it with
tainty from the roaring of the old humbug only by
knowing that the Ostrich roars by day and the
Lion by night. All the European travellers and
hunters in Africa, whose opinions Livingston asked
this point, concurred in saying that they knew
difference in the sounds when the animals were
at distance The natives of cultivated ears claimed
that they could detect variation between the COM
mencements of roaring of each. That there should
be doubt between regal thunder and the squawk
of a fowl!
Livingston well establishes the fact too, that this
false occupant of the brutal Throne eats Man only
by necessity Of disease and through the compulsion
ofnfrmity. He dares not prey upon villagers in
he becomes too old to catch game in the woods, he
sneaks around folds and comes down to mutton and
goat flesh and finds in hunger the courage to leap
upon children and women in the dark His foot
prints about the village pens lead the Bushman to
say, "his teeth are decaye6-soon he will kill men,"
They Immediately turn out and kill him. Frequent
ly his old kingship is found to be in such dietetic
extremity to be catching mice for food and even
dining off of grass.
The scent of Mans foot in general is sufficient to
make this Monarch turn tail upon village. This
fear of the king of the globe has been frequently
authenticated in the cases of lionesses assuagng the
paroxysms of hunger in the vicinity Of towns by de-
vouring their young The rule is Gt has its ex-
cepons of course) that in the day me there is not
the smallest danger of lions which not molested,
attacking Man, nor on bright moonlight nights either,
except they be inspired by their breeding affection
Then they brave all dangers-Encountered in the
day time by traveller, the lion stands but second
or two, gazing, then turns slowly around and slowly
walks away, dozen PAGES, looking continuously
over his shoulder-then he begins to trot and when
he thinks himself out of sight, fairly gives leg bail
and bounds away like greyhound.
His approach to his prey is never kingike, but
always cat like. He is eminently ssneak thief"
He knows his deserts and has an instructive expec-
taton of traps and prisons A horse hitched to a
stump, OK tied to wagon, sheep picketed to
bush FLY the rascal's fears with ideas of Newgate
and imprisonment. He dares not spring, but sitting
on his launches quakes the night with that terrific
roar which cannot be distinguished from the squawk
of the Ostrich. ''Nobe brute!" he never goes near
the eephan. save in its baby estate-When little
toddler and at distance from its mother he will
venture to tear it. At the sight of the rhino-
ceros he cuts away for the thickest jungle. The
head Of the buffalo COW or bull he never faces. One
toss of their horns would kill the biggest lion that
ever humbugged the heralds. A blazing fire kim
died by an African in the night, will fetch him to
bay and the fear of him will not prevent the negro
from curling up in the edge of its ashes and from
going to Sleep
The test of courage throughout Africa, is not the
hunting of this false and fraudulent pretender to
regal character, but of the truly imperial elephant
And the hunt always developes the superiority OF
civilized man over savage.