Section 216 An Adventure With a Lion. — II
When (S. 27, N. 7) in the act1 of ramming down the bullets, I heard a shout. Starting, and looking half round, I saw the lion just in the act of springing2 upon me. I was upon a little height; he caught my shoulder as he sprang3, and we both came to the ground below together. Growling (S. 55, N. 1, während) horribly close to my ear, he shook me as a terrier dog does a rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to that which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was4 no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though I was quite conscious of all that was happening. It was like what5 patients, particularly under the influence of chloroform, describe, who see all the operation, but do not feel the knife. This singular condition was not the result of any mental process. The shake annihilated fear, and allowed no sense of horror6 in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state is probably produced in all animals killed by the carnivora7; and, if so8, is a merciful provision by our benevolent creator for lessening the pain of death (S. 76, N. 22, B, 1). Turning round to relieve myself of the weight, as he had one paw on the back of my head9, I saw his eyes directed to Mebalwe, who was trying to shoot him at a distance of ten or fifteen yards. His gun, a flint one10, missed fire in both barrels; the lion immediately left me, and attacking Mebalwe, bit11 his thigh. Another man, whose life I had saved before, after he had been tossed12 by a buffalo, attempted to spear the lion while he was biting Mebalwe. He left Mebalwe, and caught this man by the shoulder; but, at that moment, the bullets he had received took effect13, and he fell down dead. The whole was the work of a few moments, and must have been his paroxysm of dying rage. In order to take out the charm from him, the Bakatta on the following day made a huge bonfire over his carcass, which was declared to be that of the largest lion they had ever seen. Besides crunching the bone into splinters, he left14 eleven teeth wounds on the upper part of my arm.—Dr. Livingstone.
Notes
1 ‘to be in the act of doing anything’, here bei etwas beschäftigt sein. Read S. 87, N. 6, which rule applies in this case likewise.
2 ‘in the act of springing’, here = about (im Begriff) to spring.
3 as he sprang, im Sprunge, with which commence the clause.
4 in — was = which possessed.
5 = I found myself in that state (Zustand, m.), which.
6 und flößte mir keinen Schrecken ein.
7 here reißende Tiere.
8 = and if this is the case, it is, etc.
9 on — head, auf meinem Hinterkopfe.
10 His — one, Seine Flinte; to miss fire, versagen.
11 and — bit = attacked M., and bit, etc.
12 in die Luft schleudern.
13 to take effect, zu wirken anfangen.
14 zurück´lassen.