Section 215. An Adventure with A Lion. I

It is well⁠ known that if one of 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, I went with the people, in order to encourage them to rid themselves of the annoyance by destroying⁠ one of the marauders. We found the lions on a small hill about a quarter of a mile in length⁠, which was covered with trees. A circle of men was formed round it, and they gradually closed up⁠, ascending pretty near to each other. Being down below on the plain with a native schoolmaster, named Mebalwe, a most excellent man (S. 53, N. 9), I saw one of the lions sitting (S. 78, N. 14, B) on a piece of rock within the now-closed circle of men. Mebalwe fired at him before I could⁠, and the ball struck the rock on which the animal was sitting. He bit at the spot struck, as a dog does at a stick or stone thrown at him; then leaping away⁠, broke through the opening circle, and escaped unhurt. The men were afraid to attack him on account of their belief in [an] witchcraft. When the circle was re-formed, we saw two other lions in it; but were afraid⁠ to fire lest we should strike the men, and they allowed the beasts to burst through also. If (App. § 36) the Bakatta had acted according to the custom of the country, they would have speared the lions in their attempt to get out. Seeing we could not get⁠ them to kill one of the lions, we bent our footsteps⁠ towards the village; in going round the end of the hill, however, I saw one of the beasts sitting on a piece of rock as before, but this time he had a little bush in front. Being about thirty yards⁠ off, I took a good aim at his body through the bush, and fired both barrels into it. The men then called out: “He is shot! he is shot!” Others cried: “He has been shot by another man, too; let us go to him!” I did not see any one else shoot at him, but I saw the lion’s tail⁠ erected in anger behind the bush, and turning to the people, said: “Stop a little till I load⁠ again.”

= generally.

es sich zur Warnung dienen lassen.

So, Als nun; the next time, wiederum, which place after the subject.

durch Vertilgung, which place, with ‘one — marauders’, immediately after the reflective pronoun ‘sich’.

Use the attributive construction.

and — up, welche sich allmählich enger an einander anschlossen; ascending = and ascended (den Berg hinauf´steigen).

ehe ich es thun konnte.

= and when, hereupon, he sprang away, he, etc.

= but ventured not; lest, aus Furcht, daß; render ‘should’ by the Imperf. Subj. of mögen.

dahin bringen.

we went (schreiten).

= steps; distances are generally measured by steps in Germany.

a lion’s tail, Schweif, m.; in, aus.

= have loaded.