Africa, as we have already observed, is truly the native country of the Lion; and in no part of that vast continent, we may add, does he attain2 greater size, or exhibit all his characteristic features in fuller and more complete developement, than in the immediate3 vicinity of the settlements which have been formed in the interior of its southern extremity4 by the Dutch and English colonists5 of the Cape1. In speaking of the Bengal Lion, we have also pointed6 out the more striking characteristics by which the Asiatic race is distinguished7 from that of Southern Africa; consisting principally in the larger size, the more regular and graceful8 form, the generally[18] darker colour, and the less extensive mane of the African. It remains9, however, to be mentioned that, even in this latter race, there are two varieties, which have been long known to the settlers under the names of the Pale and the Black Lion, distinguished, as their appellations10 imply, by the lighter11 or darker colour of their coats, and more particularly of their manes. This variation, there can be little doubt, is entirely12 produced by the different character of the districts which they inhabit, and of the food which they are enabled to procure13. The black Lion, as he is termed, is the larger and the more ferocious14 of the two, more frequently attacking man himself, if less noble prey15 should fail him; and sometimes measuring the enormous distance of eight feet from the tip of the nose to the origin of the tail, which is generally about half the length of the body. He is, however, of less frequent occurrence than the pale variety.
It is in the night-time more particularly that the Lion prowls abroad in search of his prey, the conformation of his eyes not only, like those of the cat, allowing him to see with a very moderate degree of light, but even rendering16 the full glare of day distressing17 and intolerable to him. It is for this reason that travellers, who are compelled to sleep in the open air in countries infested18 by these animals, are careful to keep up a blazing fire, which the tenderness of their eyes deters19 them from approaching, unless when they are extremely hard pressed by the calls of hunger. These, it would appear, sometimes become paramount20 to every other consideration, and urge the Lion, as they do many more ignoble21 beasts, into the exhibition of a degree of courage, which,[19] in despite of all that has been said on the subject, is by no means his natural characteristic.
“At the time,” says Mr. Burchell, in his admirable Travels in Southern Africa, “when men first adopted the Lion as the emblem22 of courage, it would seem that they regarded great size and strength as indicating it; but they were greatly mistaken in the character they had given of this indolent skulking23 animal.” That an animal which seldom attacks by open force, but, stealing along with cautious and noiseless tread, silently approaches his victim, conceals24 himself in treacherous25 ambush26, and at length, when he imagines his prey to be fairly within his reach, bounds forth27 upon him with an overwhelming leap, crushes him beneath the tremendous weight of his irresistible28 paw, tears him piece-meal with his talons29, and, after having surfeited30 on his horrid31 meal, returns into the depths of his solitary32 concealment33 to sleep away the hours until his satiated appetite shall be again renewed, and his craving34 maw stimulate35 him to fresh exertion36,—that such an animal should ever have been regarded as the type of courage and the emblem of magnanimity would indeed be most astonishing, were it not that men have in all ages been too prone37 to flatter superior power, and to offer at the shrine38 of greatness that homage39 which is due only to the good.
True it is that on some occasions the Lion has been known, in the capriciousness of his disposition41, to suffer his prostrate42 prey to escape but little injured from his clutch; but these instances are of rare occurrence, and may safely be referred either to his natural indolence, when excited neither by hunger nor by provocation43, or to that intellectual debasement which among brutes44 is[20] the usual concomitant of increased bulk and formidable strength. But to conclude from such whims45 and freaks, unaccountable as they may sometimes appear, that he is actuated by feelings of mercy, or by the natural impulse of a generous mind, would be about as reasonable as it would be to assume from the instances which are recorded of the justice and generosity46 of a Tamerlane or a Tippoo, that those monsters of sanguinary cruelty were in reality the mildest and most merciful of despots.
We have said that the Lion generally chooses the night for his excursions; and this is in fact the only time at which he ventures to approach the habitations of man, from which he will frequently carry off horses or oxen, apparently47 with the greatest ease, and almost without seeming to be incumbered by his burthen. Beyond the precincts of European civilization, and out of the reach of the dreaded48 rifle, he will sometimes penetrate49 into the very hut of the Bushman, and prey upon its human inhabitants. It is even stated, and on very respectable authority, that in some of the most distant kraals, or villages, those wretched people purposely expose the old and the infirm among them in such situations as they consider most open to attack, as the Lion’s share, in the expectation that he will instinctively50 seize upon those who are first thrown in his way. When, however, the Lion finds his appetite thus easily satiated, it is said that he is sure to return night after night to the kraal for a fresh victim; until the miserable51 remnant of its inhabitants at length find it absolutely necessary to quit the ground, and to seek a precarious52 safety in flight.
In the daytime, when pressed by hunger, the Lion[21] takes his secret stand among the reeds and long grass in the neighbourhood of springs and rivers, and watches with unwearied patience for such animals as may, for the purpose of quenching53 their thirst, pass sufficiently54 near him to ensure the success of his attack. This is generally made in one enormous bound of fifteen, twenty, or even, it is said, thirty feet, and with a force capable of bearing to the ground and completely disabling the most formidable opponent. At times, however, he will pursue his prey somewhat more openly, and by quickly repeated springs; but this is an exertion which he is unable to continue for any considerable length of time, and which, consequently, any animal of moderate fleetness, that has fairly got the start of him, is certain to outstrip55. Of this the Lion appears to be fully56 aware; for, if not successful in the commencement of the chase, he generally relinquishes57 it at once, and retires gradually, and step by step, to his place of ambush, to watch for a better opportunity and a more certain prey.
It is rarely that the Lion of the Cape district ventures to attack a man, unless provoked, or impelled58 by urgent hunger. The colonists, however, who are very great sufferers (especially in their horses, for whose flesh he seems to have a peculiar59 taste) by his frequent visits, are his most determined60 and deadly foes61, and omit no opportunity of wreaking62 their vengeance63 upon him for the injuries which he has inflicted64 upon their property. The frontier boors65 in particular, who are more exposed to his ravages66, and who, being well trained to hunting, are most of them excellent marksmen, appear to take a peculiar pleasure in attacking the Lion, even when they[22] meet him almost singly. They, however, more frequently make up parties for the chase, which is unquestionably attended with no little danger, even when the huntsmen are numerous and experienced; for although the Lion on such occasions almost always takes to his heels, and endeavours to make his escape without confronting his pursuers; yet, when he finds that flight is in vain, he turns upon them with a fierceness and determination that nothing could withstand, were it not for the well proved superiority possessed67 by them in the formidable rifle, which, on such an emergency, they know how to direct with a steady and almost unerring aim.
The Cape Lion is seldom taken alive; his utter destruction and extermination68 forming the primary object of his pursuers. Occasionally, however, when a Lioness has been shot, and the hunters have been fortunate enough to trace out her den69, the cubs70 are brought away, and in some measure domesticated71, at least for a season, and until they acquire sufficient force to become dangerous. Up to this period some of the colonists will even suffer them to remain almost at large in their dwellings72; but they have frequently occasion to rue40 the mercy they have shown, and are at length compelled, by the unequivocal manifestations73 of that ferocity which never fails to make its appearance when the animals have attained74 a certain age, to destroy the creatures whom they have nourished and caressed75.
Two male individuals of this breed are now exhibiting at the Tower: the one whose portrait illustrates76 the present article, and who, although scarcely more than two years and a half old, already rivals his adult Asiatic[23] neighbour in size and majesty77, while he exceeds him in grace and agility78; and a second, of about ten months old, apparently belonging to the pale variety, and who is just beginning to exhibit the first faint outline of the mane. The former of these is remarkably79 beautiful and docile80: he became an inmate81 of the Tower in May, 1827; and was, during his voyage from the Cape, being then very young, so tame and domesticated as to be allowed to run about the deck like a dog.
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1
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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appellations
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| n.名称，称号( appellation的名词复数 ) | |
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lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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infested
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| adj.为患的，大批滋生的（常与with搭配）v.害虫、野兽大批出没于( infest的过去式和过去分词 )；遍布于 | |
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deters
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| v.阻止，制止( deter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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paramount
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| a.最重要的，最高权力的 | |
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ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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skulking
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| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
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conceals
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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ambush
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| n.埋伏(地点)；伏兵；v.埋伏；伏击 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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talons
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| n.（尤指猛禽的）爪( talon的名词复数 )；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物；锁簧尖状突出部 | |
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surfeited
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| v.吃得过多( surfeit的过去式和过去分词 )；由于过量而厌腻 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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41
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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42
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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44
brutes
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| 兽( brute的名词复数 )； 畜生； 残酷无情的人； 兽性 | |
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45
WHIMS
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| 虚妄，禅病 | |
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46
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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47
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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49
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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50
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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51
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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53
quenching
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| 淬火，熄 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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outstrip
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| v.超过，跑过 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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57
relinquishes
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| 交出，让给( relinquish的第三人称单数 )； 放弃 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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wreaking
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| 诉诸（武力），施行（暴力），发（脾气）( wreak的现在分词 ) | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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boors
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| n.农民( boor的名词复数 )；乡下佬；没礼貌的人；粗野的人 | |
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ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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extermination
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| n.消灭，根绝 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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cubs
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| n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 ) | |
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domesticated
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| adj.喜欢家庭生活的；（指动物）被驯养了的v.驯化( domesticate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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manifestations
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| n.表示，显示（manifestation的复数形式） | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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docile
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| adj.驯服的，易控制的，容易教的 | |
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inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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