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employed in attacking one or two of them, the remainder fly farther than it accords with the natural indolence of this beaft to follow them. If this be called generofity, a cat may be ftyled generous with refpect to the rats; as I have feen this creature in the fields among a great number of the latter, where the could have made a great havock at once, feize on a fingle one only, and run,off with it. The lion and the cat, likewife, very much refemble each other, in partly fleeping out, and partly paling away in a quiet inactive state a great part of their time, in which hunger does not urge them to go in quest of their prey.

"Froin what I have already related, and am farther about to men tion, we may conclude, that it is not in magnanimity, as many will have it to be, but in an intidious and cowardly difpofition, blended with a certain degree of pride, that the general character of the lion confifts: and that hunger muf naturally have the effect of now and then infpiring fo ftrong and nimble an animal with uncommon intrepidity and courage. Moreover, being accuftomed always itfelf to kill its own food, and that with the greatest cafe, as meeting with no refiftance, and even frequently to devour it reeking and weltering in its blood, it cannot but be easily provoked, and acquire a greater turn for cruelty than for generofity: but, on the other hand, not being accustomed to meet with any reliftance, it is no wonder that when it does, it fhould fometimes be fainthearted and creft-fallen; and, as I have already faid, fuffer itself to be fcared away with a cudgel. Here follows another inftance of this fact.

"A yeoman, a man of veracity (Jacob Kok, of Zeekoe-rivier), re

lated to me an adventure he had, in thefe words. One day walking over his lands with his loaded gun, he unexpectedly met with a lion. Being an excellent fhot, he thought himfelf pretty certain, in the pofition he was in, of killing it, and therefore fired his piece. Unfortu nately he did not recollect, that the charge had been in it for fome time, and confequently was damp; fo that his piece hung fire, and the ball falling fhort, entered the ground clofe to the lion. In confequence of this he was feized with a panic, and took directly to his feet; but being foon out of breath, and closely purfued by the lion, he jumped up on a little heap of ftones, and there made a ftand, prefenting the butt-end of his gun to his adveríary, fully refolved to defend his life as well as he could to the utmost. My friend did not take upon him to determine, whether this pofition and manner of his intimidated the lion or not: it had, however, fuch an effect upon the creature, that it likewife made a ftand; and what was fill more fingular, laid itself down at the distance of a few paces from the heap of ftones feemingly quite unconcerned. The fportiman, in the mean while, did not dare to flir a ftep from the spot: befides, in his flight, he had the misfortune to lofe his powder-horn. At length, after waiting a good half hour, the lion rofe up, and at first went very flowly, and step by step, as if it had a mind to steal off; but as foon as it got to a greater distance, it began to bound away at a great rate. It is very probable, that the lion, like the hyena, does not eafily venture upon any creature that makes a

and against it, and puts itself in a pofture of defence. It is well known, that it does not, like the hound, find out its, prey by the

fcent,

fcent, neither does it openly hunt other animals. At least, the only inftance ever known of this, is that which I have mentioned before, in vol. i. p. 307, in which it is fpoken of as having hunted an elk-antilope; though it might poffibly be, that this wild beaft was reduced by extreme hunger to fuch an extraordinary expedient. The lion, nevertheless, is fwift of foot. Two hunters informed me, that an imprudent and fool-hardy companion of theirs, was closely pursued by a lion in their fight, and very nearly overtaken by it, though he was mounted on an excellent hunter.

"The lion's ftrength is confiderable. This animal was once feen at the Cape to take an heifer in his mouth, and though the legs of this latter dragged on the ground, yet feemed to carry her off with the fame eafe as a cat does a rat. It likewife leaped over a broad dike with her, without the leaft difficulty. A buffalo perhaps would be too cumbersome for this beaft of prey, notwithstanding his strength, to feize and carry off with him in the manner above mentioned. Two yeomen, upon whofe veracity I can place fome confidence, gave me the following account relative to this matter:

"Being a-hunting near Bofhiesman-rivier with feveral Hottentots, they perceived a lion dragging a buffalo from the plain to a neigh bouring woody hill. They, how ever, foon forced it to quit its prey, in order to make a prize of it themfelves; and found that this wild beaft had had the fagacity to take out the buffalo's large and unweildy entrails, in order to be able the easier to make off with the fleshy and more eatable part of the carcafe. The wild beaft, however, as foon as he faw, from the skirts of the wood, that

the Hottentots had begun to carry off the flesh to the waggon, frequently peeped out upon them, and probably with no little mortification." The lion's ftrength, however, is faid not to be fufficient alone to get the better of fo large and strong an animal as the buffalo but, in order to make it his prey, this fierce creature is obliged to have recourse both to agility and stratagem; infomuch, that ftealing on the buffalo, it faftens with both its paws upon the noftrils and mouth of the beaft, and keeps fqueezing them clofe together, till at length the creature is ftrangled, wearied out, and dies. A certain colonist, according to report, had had an opportunity of seeing an attack of this kind; and others had reason to conclude, that fomething of this nature had paffed, from feeing buffaloes, which had efcaped from the clutches of lions, and bore the marks of the claws of these animals about their mouth and nofe. They afferted, however, that the lion itfelf rifqued its life in fuch attempts, especially if any other buffalo was at hand to rescue that which was attacked. It was faid, that a traveller once had an opportunity of feeing a female buffalo with her calf, defended by a river at her back, keep for a long time at bay five lions which had partly furrounded her, but did not (at least as long as the traveller looked on) dare to attack her. I have been informed, from very good authority, that on a plain to the east of Kromme-rivier, a lion had been gored and trampled to death by a herd of cattle; having, urged probably by hunger, ventured to attack them in broad day-light.

"This the reader will, perhaps, not fo much wonder at, when he is told, that in the day-time, and upon

an

mountains finking in appearance from a fpectator's change of fituation, can have no real analogy with the degradation of a statefman, hero, or other elevated character. The ideas in these couplets, "Still the profpect, wider," &c. are fo extenfive, that they approach to the true fublime :

About his chequer'd fides I wind,
And leave his brooks and meads behind,
And groves and grottos where I lay,
And vistas fbooting beams of day:
Wide and wider fpreads the vale;
Like circles on a smooth canal:
The mountains round, unhappy fate
Sooner or later of all height,
Withdraw their fummits from the skies,
And leffen as the others rife :
Still the profpect wider spreads,
Adds a thoufand woods and meads,
Still it widens, widens ftill,
And finks the newly-rifen hill.

Some readers may think the follow. ing alterations no improvement; but the arrangement is certainly preferable in point of correctnefs:

Wider and wider fpreads the vale,
As circles on a smooth canal;
The mountains round that reach the fkies
Subfide, and others o'er them rise.
Still the profpect, &c.

"Had all the next paragraph, except the first two lines, been fuppreffed, the poem would have fuffered no material lofs. After the landscape was faid to lye below, it was furely needlefs to fay that it fpread beneath the fight: nor does the face of Nature, wearing the hues of the rainbow, convey to the mind any distinct or graphical idea:

Now I gain the mountain's brow,
What a landfeape lies below!
No clouds, no vapours intervene,
But the gay the open scene,
Does the face of Nature foow,
In all the bues of heaven's bow!
And fwelling to embrace the light,
Spreads around beneath the fight.

"We have now a fcene almost

unexceptionably picturefque and
beautiful:

Old cafties on the cliffs arife,
Proudly towering in the skies!
Rufhing from the woods the fpires,
Seem from hence afcending fires!
Half his beams Apollo fheds,
On the yellow mountain heads!
Gilds the fleeces of the flocks,
And glitters on the broken rocks!

"The downward view of Grongar itself, has equal merit; the epithets of the different trees are well chofen :

Below me trees unnumber'd rife,
Beautiful in various dyes;
The gloomy pine, the poplar blue,
The yellow beech, the fable yew,
The flender fir that taper grows,
The sturdy oak with broad-spread boughs.

"This poem has been celebrated for the frequency of its moral reflections. After describing a ruined castle or palace, it was natural for fuch fentiments as the following to occur; but they might have been expreffed with more concifenefs. The pen of expunction should have paffed over the words marked in italicks, as fnperfluous; rule and fray are fynonymous; pomp and fay would have done better. The conclufion, this little defect excepted, is truly excellent :

Yet time has feen, that lifts the low,
And level lays the lofty brow,
Has feen this broken pile compleat,
Big with the vanity of state;
But tranfient is the smile of fate!
A little rule, a little way,
A fun-beam in a winter's day,
Is all the proud and mighty have,
Between the cradle and the grave.

"The ensuing description of the rivers is agreeable, and prettily illuftrates the course of human life. The thought of Nature's veffure, is not fo happy her drefs could not be at once grave and gay; and the fame appearance which inftruts or produces ferious reflection, can

fcarcely

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ry turning and winding of a poor timid hare.

"It is only on the plains that the hunters venture to go out on horfeback after the lion. If it keeps in fome coppice, or wood, on a rifing ground, they endeavour to teize it with dogs till it comes out; they likewife prefer going together two or more in number, in order to be able to affift and refcue each other, in cafe the firft fhot fhould not take place.

When the lion fees the hunters at a great diftance, it is univerfally allowed that he takes to his heels as fast as ever he can, in, order to get out of their fight; but if they chance to difcover him at a small distance from them, he is then faid to walk off in a furly manner, but without putting himfelf in the leaft hurry, as though he was above fhewing any fear, when he finds himself difcovered or hunted. He is therefore reported likewife, when he finds himself purfued with vigour, to be foon provoked to refiitance, or at leaft he difdains any longer to fly. Confequently he flackens his pace, and at length only fidles flowly off, ftep by step, all the while eying his purfuers afkaunt; and finally makes a full ftop, and turning round upon them, and at the fame time giving himself a shake, roars with a fhort and fharp tone, in order to fhew his indignation, being ready to feize on them and tear them in pieces. This is now precifely the time for the hunters to be upon the fpot, or elfe to get as foon as poffible within a certain diftance of him, yet fo as at the fame time to keep at a proper distance from each other; and he that is nearest, or is most advantageoutly pofted, and has the best mark of that part of the lion's body which contains his heart

and lungs, must be the first to jump off his horfe, and, fecuring the bridle by putting it round his arm, difcharge his piece; then in an inftant recovering his feat, must ride obliquely athwart his companions; and, in fine, giving his horse the reins, must truft entirely to the fpeed and fear of this latter, to convey him out of the reach of the fury of the wild beast, in case he has only wounded him, or has abfolutely miffed him. In either of thefe cafes, a fair opportunity prefents itself for fome of the other hunters to jump off their horfes directly, as they may then take their aim and discharge their pieces with greater coolnefs and certainty. Should this fhot likewife mifs, (which, however, feldom happens) the third fportfman rides after the lion, which at that inftant is in purfuit of the firft or the fecond, and, fpringing off his horfe, fires his piece, as foon as he has got within a proper diftance, and finds a fufficiently convenient part of the animal prefent itself, efpecially obliquely from behind. If now the lion turns upon him too, the other hunters turn again, in order to come to his refcue with the charge, which they loaded with on horfeback, while they were flying from the wild beast.

"No inftance has ever been known of any misfortune happening to the hunters in chafing the lion on horfeback. The African colonists, who are born in, or have had the courage to remove into the more remote parts of Africa, which are expofed to the ravages of wild beafts, are mostly good marksmen, and are far from wanting courage. The lion, that has the boldness to feize on their cattle, which are the most valuable part of their property, fometimes at their very doors, is as odious to them as he is dan

gerous

gerous and noxious. They confe. quently feck out thefe animals, and hunt them with the greatest ardour and glee, with a view to exterminate them. When the lion, there fore, comes upon their grounds, it is much the fame as if they were going to fight pro aris et focis; and I have heard feveral yeomen at Agter Bruntjes Hoogte, when I was out a-hunting with them, merely exprefs a wifh to meet with the lions, in cafe there were any in that neighbourhood, without mention ing a word about shooting them; a fign that, with regard to that part of the bufinefs, they were pretty fure of their hands.

"The lion is by no means hard to kill. Those who have had occafion to fhoot feveral of these animals, have affured me, that while buffaloes and the larger fpecies of antelopes will now and then make their efcape, and run fairly off with a ball in their bowels, or in the cavity of their abdomen, of which I myfelf have feen inftances; the

lion, on the contrary, on being flot in this manner, will be thrown into a vomiting, and be difabled from running. But be that as it may, it is natural to suppose, that a welldirected fhot that enters the heart or lungs, fhould fuffice to kill the lion as well as the elephant and every other creature: therefore, as M. de Buffon acknowledges that the lion's hide cannot withstand either ball or dart, it is inconceivable how it should come into this author's head to affert, without having the leaft authority for it, that this furious beaft is hardly ever to be killed with a fingle fhot.

"The hides of lions are looked upon as being inferior to and more rotten than thofe of cows, and are feldom made ufe of at the Cape, excepting for the fame purpofe as horfes hides. I met with a farmer, however, who used a lion's hide for the upper leathers to his fhoes, and spoke highly of them, as being pliable and lasting.”

ACCOUNT OF THE CAMELOPARDALIS.

T

[From the fame Work.]

HE camelopardalis is, as I have faid above, at p. 149 of this volume, the tallest of all qua drupeds when measured in front; and though it is found only in thofe parts of the Cape colonies that lie fartheft towards the north-weit, merits, however, an accurate defcription, efpecially in this place, along with the other animals of Africa. The latest and best accounts concerning the real form and other properties of this beast have been given to the public by the prefent commandant at the Cape, major Gordon, who

fhot one of these creatures in the district of Anamaquas; in confequence of which the public has been gratified with a very good drawing and defcription of it by M. Allamand, in his edition of M. de Buffon's Hiftory of Animals, Suppl. de la Giraffe, p. 46. Of this defcription I fhall here prefent my reader with an abstract.

"The height of this animal, when it holds its neck strait and erect, is, from the crown of the head to the ground, fifteen feet two inches; the length of it, from the

. chest

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