spread
over the limb of the tree with his grinning muzzle and gleaming teeth
close to our feet! In another instant the brute would have swung his
body up, but my companion's presence of mind did not forsake him at this
crisis. Quick as thought was his action; and, before the lion had time
to raise himself, the keen blade of the sailor's knife had passed twice
through the great paw,--inflicting at each stab a deep and bloody gash.
At the same instant I had drawn the pistol, which I still carried in my
belt, and fired as fair as I could in the face of the monster.

Whether it was the knife or the pistol that produced the desired effect,
I will not undertake to determine; but certainly an effect was produced
by one or the other, or more likely both weapons deserve a share of the
credit. Be this as it may, the effect was instantaneous; for the moment
the shot was fired and the stabs were given, the lion dropped backward,
and ran limping around the trunk of the tree, roaring and screaming in a
voice that might have been heard at the distance of miles!

From the manner in which he limped, it was evident that the wounds given
by the knife were painful to him, and we could perceive by the blood
upon his "countenance" that the shot, small as it was, had torn him
considerably about the face.

For a short time we were in hopes that after such a repulse he might
take himself off, but we soon perceived that our hopes were fallacious;
neither the stabs nor the shot had seriously injured him. They had only
served to render him more furious and vengeful; and after tumbling about
for a while, and angrily biting at his own bleeding paw, he returned
once more to the attack, as before, endeavouring to spring up to the
branches of the tree. I had reloaded the pistol. Ben was again ready
with his blade; and, fixing ourselves firmly on our perch, we awaited
the onset.

Once more the lion bounded upward and launched himself against the
trunk, but to our great joy we saw that he fell far short of his former
leaps. Beyond a doubt his limb was disabled.

Again and again he repeated the attempt, each time falling short as
before. If fury could have availed, he would have succeeded; for he was
now at the height of his rage, and making such a hideous combination of
noises, that we could not hear our own voices when we spoke to each
other.

After several vain essays to reach us, the brute seemed to arrive at the
conviction that the fe