, if we had not perished. We were talking about lions; it is an
old-received opinion, that the jackal is the lion's provider; it would
be a more correct one to say that the lion is the Bushman's provider."

"Indeed!"

"I once asked a Bushman, `How do you live?' His reply was, `I live by
the lions.' I asked him to explain to me. He said, `I will show what I
do: I let the lions follow the game and kill it and eat it till they
have their bellies full, then I go up to where the lion is sitting down
by the carcass, and I go pretty near to him; I cry out, "What have you
got there, cannot you spare me some of it? Go away and let me have some
meat, or I'll do you some harm." Then I dance and jump about and shake
my skin-dress, and the lion looks at me, and he turns round and walks
away; he growls very much, but he don't stay, and then I eat the rest.'"

"And is that true?"

"Yes, I believe it, as I have had it confessed by many others. The fact
is, the lion is only dangerous when he is hungry--that is, if he is not
attacked; and if, as the Bushman said, the lion has eaten sufficiently,
probably not wishing to be disturbed, after his repast, by the presence
and shouts of the Bushman, the animal retires to some other spot. I was
informed that a very short time afterwards, this Bushman, who told me
what I have detailed to you, was killed by a lioness, when attempting to
drive it away from its prey by shouting as he was used to do. The fact
was, that he perceived a lioness devouring a wild horse, and went up to
her as usual; but he did not observe that she had her whelps with her:
he shouted; she growled savagely, and before he had time to retreat, she
sprang upon him and tore him to pieces."

"The lion does not prey upon men, then, although he destroys them?"

"Not generally; but the Namaqua people told me that, if a lion once
takes a fancy to men's flesh--and they do, after they have in their
hunger devoured one or two--they become doubly dangerous, as they will
leave all other game and hunt man only; but this I cannot vouch for
being the truth, although it is very probable."

"If we judge from analogy, it is," replied the Major. "The Bengal
tigers in India, it is well known, if they once taste human flesh,
prefer it to all other, and they are well known to the natives, who term
them men-eaters. Strange to say, it appears that human flesh is not
wholesome for them; for their skins become mangy after they have tak