time. At length the lion moved backward, as if to go away. Muller
began loading his gun; the lion looked over his shoulder, growled, and
immediately returned to his former position within a few paces of
Muller. Muller stood still, with his eyes fixed on the animal. The
lion again moved cautiously off; when he was at a certain distance,
Muller proceeded to ram down his bullet. The lion again looked back and
growled angrily. Muller again was quiet, and the animal continued
turning and growling as it moved off, till at last it bounded away."

"You imagine, then, that the lion is aware of the fatal effects of
fire-arms?" said the Major.

"It would appear so, not only on account of their being so angry if
presented at them, or being touched even when they are close to them,
but also from the greater respect the lion pays to man where fire-arms
are in use. The respect that he pays to men in the colony is not a
general custom of the animal.

"As I said before, the lion is more dangerous in this Bushman country;
because, in the first place, his awe of man has been removed, from his
invariably successful rencontres with those who have no weapons of force
with which to oppose him; and, secondly, because he has but too often
tasted human flesh, after which a lion becomes more partial to it than
any other food.

"It is asserted, that when a lion has once succeeded in snatching some
unfortunate Bushman from his cave, he never fails to return regularly
every night, in hopes of another meal, until the horde is so harassed
that they are compelled to seek some other shelter. From apprehension
of such attacks, it is also asserted that the Bushmen are in the habit
of placing their aged and infirm people at the entrance of the cave
during the night, that, should the lion come, the least valuable and
most useless of their community may first fall a prey to the animal."

"Of course, if permitted to help himself in that way, the lion cannot
have much fear of man," observed Wilmot; "and his lurking abroad in the
night takes away much from the nobleness of disposition which you are
inclined to attribute to him."

"By no means," continued Swinton. "That a lion generally lurks and lies
in wait to seize his prey is certain, but this is the general
characteristic of the feline tribe, of which he may be considered as the
head; and it is for this mode of hunting that nature has fitted him.

"The wolf, the hound, and others, are furnis