The Lion and the Elephant. Charles John Andersson
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it was light we examined the spot, and found, from the foot-marks, that the lion was a large one, and had devoured the cow himself. I had some difficulty in believing this, but was fully convinced by the Baralongs pointing out to me that the foot-marks of the other lions had not come within thirty yards of the spot: two jackals only had approached to lick up any little leavings. The men pursued the "spoor,"* to find the fragments where the lion had deposited them, while he retired to a thicket to sleep during the day. I had often heard how much a large hungry lion could eat, but nothing less than a demonstration would have con- vinced me that it was possible for him to have eaten the flesh of a good-sized heifer, and many of the bones besides, for scarcely a rib was left, and some of the marrow-bones were broken as with a hammer."✝
course the appetite of one in a state of nature, who can only eat his fill occasionally, cannot be compared with that of one- imprisoned.
* Gerard, when speaking of the track of the lion, says: "Place your hand upon the foot-marks, and if the. claws of the animal are not covered by the fingers when spread out. it is a male and full grown; if your hand covers the track, it is a lioness or a young lion."
✝ "The excrement of the lion," pays Gerard "is white, and filled with large fragments of bone, If those are of the thickness of one's
THE LION.
The lion in the Cape Colony, and other more in- habited parts of Southern Africa, frequently—as shewn——carries, or drags, his prey to a considerable distance before devouring it; but in the interior of the country, where the population is scanty, and the beast subject to but little molestation, he, for the most part, either feasts on it where it fell, or removes it to some thicket in the immediate vicinity; and after he has satisfied his hunger for the time being, which with a half-famished lion occupies no little time, he either crouches beside it, or in some retired spot near at hand. "Here," according to Delegorgue, "he keeps guard over the remainder of the carcase, from which both by night and day lie drives away all carnivorous animals that would share it with him. As regards quadrupeds, he has little trouble, for they, knowing his powers, obey without reflection, and remain on the watch at twenty, thirty, and forty paces distance, waiting until such time as the 'Master' leaves the spot with a firm and grave step, and abandons to them the residue of his royal repast; but those who give him most trouble are the vultures,* who, alighting on the carcase, are always bearing away something in spite of the king of the forest, or the flourish of his formidable paws."
Notwithstanding the respect usually shewn to the
wrist, they are those of a full grown male lion; if smaller, of a lioness or a young lion."
* Elsewhere Delegorgue, in his interesting work, tolls us "that on one occasion he came on the carcase of a newly slain elephant, so thickly covered with vultures that with a single ball he put no fewer than nine of these disgusting birds hors de combat.
STEAK AU LION
monarch of the desert by his inferiors, they some- times have the impertinence to feed in company with him on the same carcase. I myself have known this to be the case with the dog, the jackal,* and the hyena.
It happens occasionally, however, that the in- truder pays dearly for his audacity. It is indeed asserted by more than one experienced hunter that, when the hyena proves troublesome, the lion has been known to bite off all its feet, ✝ and when thus mutilated, leave the poor animal to its fate. Though unable to vouch for the truth of the story, yet, as in some degree corroborative of it, I may mention that I myself, on one occasion, fell in with a hyena walking on his four stumps.
The flesh of the lion has a somewhat bad name with naturalists and others, who, though admitting that the natives of the countries inhabited by the beast occasionally partake of it, describe it as having a strong disagreeable smell and flavour. And M. Delegorgue, when speaking of a lion that he had recently killed, goes so far as to say "that the odour of it was so rank and disgusting that he had not the courage to taste it, but abandoned it to the vultures." Of course it is not for me to con- tradict great authorities, but, as stated in the "River
*It is difficult to account for the popular notion as to the jackal being the lion's provider. To my mind it would be far more correct to reverse the adage, and say that the lion caters for the jackal, as it is in great measure on the leavings of his royal friend that this pretty little animal subsists.
✝ The same refined kind of cruelty has been witnessed amongst a certain species of African ants.
p 2
THE LION.
Okovango," "I on one occasion dined off steak au lion, and found it very palateable and juicy, not unlike veal, and very white."
In Northern* as in Southern Africa, lion's flesh is eaten by the natives, though in the former rather I believe as a charm. In Algeria, according to Gerard, special value is set upon the heart of the animal, which is chopped into small pieces, and given to the children "to make them strong and courageous."! "A lock of hair plucked from the mane of the beast, and worn about the person, is an amulet which will, it is believed, render the wearer unconquerable in battle."
But, after all, why should not the flesh of the lion be both eatable and nutritious? Mr. Charles Darwin writes me that that of the puma, which he once partook of, is very palateable, whence he infers that the lion's may not be bad-tasted. Then again Mr. Lloyd, in his "Scandinavian Adventures," Vol. II. page 7, says: "The flesh of all the tiger tribe is, in England, considered the worst of carrion; but
*"These Arabs," says Bruce, when speaking of a certain tribe on the frontiers of Algiers and Tunis, "are immensely rich, paying no tribute either to Tunis or Algiers. The pretence for this ex- emption is a very singular one. By the institution of their founder they are obliged to live upon lions' flesh for their daily food, as far as they can procure it; with this they strictly comply, and in con- sideration of the utility of this their vow, they are not taxed, like other Arabs, with payments to the State. The consequence of this life is, that they are excellent and well-armed horsemen, exceedingly bold and undaunted hunters."
✝Hence possibly the old saw, "wine is composed of women's tongues and lions' hearts, for if a man partakes of a few glasses of the generous liquor he will talk forever, and if needs be, fight the devil himself."
THE SKIN A TROPHY.
this is a mistake, as regards the lynx at least, which greatly resembles veal in appearance, and to my personal knowledge, for I have often partaken of it, is very palateable. Grimalkin in the hands of Mr. Soyer would probably prove equally good."*
In Southern Africa, the skin of the lion, though of little intrinsic value, is, as a trophy, greatly prized by the hunters, and the like is the case, General Dumas tells us, in Algeria.
"Les Arabes," says he, "croient qu'il est bon de dormir sur un peau de lion; on éloigne ainsi les démons, on conjure le malheur, et on se préserve de certaines maladies.
"Les griffes du lion montées en argent deviennent des ornements pour les femmes, la peau de son front est un talisman que certains homines placent sur leurs tetes pour maintenir dans leurs cervelles l'audace et l'énergie."
The lion is a long-lived animal. Buffon and other naturalists, it is true, estimate its age at only
* May not the prejudice against lion's flesh have more or less originated with people who had only tasted that of beasts ancient as the hills, or of such as had met their death in a way greatly to deteriorate it!" That of a young bear, or even of one in-.its prime.js, as I can certify, very good eating, whether roasted, boiled, or smoked; whereas that of a very old gentleman, or of one shot under peculiar circumstances, will hardly tempt the appetite of the least fastidious; as a proof of this I, on one occasion, killed a large old male after so severe a run on "skedor" ii. deep snow, that on cut- ting up the beast twenty-four hours afterwards, all which time he had lain exposed in the forest during very severe weather, his interior fat was found to be in so liquid a state as to necessitate its removal with a coffee cup. and the flesh, as a consequence which was