him.

The ratel, moreover, did not want the gnu, being an eater of honey,
locusts, and generally badger-like fare for the most part; and if the
lion had only had the sense to wait a few minutes longer behind the
scenes, the ratel would have gone away and left the gnu. But he would
not be driven; _that_ was the rub. Attacking nobody unprovoked, he was a
grim beast to attack, and gave way before none. Hence the trouble.

Finding that the bluff of the impressive tableau did not work, the lion
tried a fresh one. Still staring at the ratel, he sank his head to the
ground, so that his great mane hung to the earth all about him. His
forelegs and his shoulders crouched, but his hindlegs and his back were
held at their highest, and his tail began to lash behind. Then he began
to growl tremendously and nerve-shatteringly, and as he did so he curled
his upper lips up and back, till the whole ghastly array of his teeth was
laid bare to view. In this position he looked like a gigantic grinning
mask, with blind eye-sockets where the wrinkles were on the sloping
forehead, his eyes nearly invisible below, and a tail lashing far up
atop. It was a horrible sight, and one calculated to stampede the
pluckiest animal.

It was, of course, also a deliberate piece of mesmeric bluff, the reason
for which was not made clear till one noticed, what the ratel probably
could not, that the great leonine tusks, the terrible fangs, were yellow
and worn, as were the rest of the teeth. This was an old lion, a king on
a throne already tottering, a monarch of yesterday.

That lion, however, might have turned into Satan himself, for all the
ratel cared. He was threatened, attacked, bullied, forced. His blood
was up, and had not all who ever fought him allowed that he was the
pluckiest beast on earth? Enough! Come lion! come devil! he would give
ground to none.

[Illustration: "All allowed that he was the pluckiest beast on earth"]

Lions are not too patient. Also, they have fine spirit of their own.
They are among the very few beasts who will hunt and attack animals as
strong as, or stronger than, themselves. And this lion's patience
snapped suddenly. All at once he seemed to remember that he was still a
king, though a king already within the shadow of abdication. The
terrible bass rumble of his growl grew, and changed tone; his tail lashed
faster and faster; and then, all suddenly heralded by a couple of wicked,
rasping, coughing gru