an ox, there is not much
left for those who come to the second table. And there are often other
Lions, younger and weaker than the one who has provided the dinner,
who must wait until their master or father is done before they have a
chance to take a bite. But, as you may see by this picture, they do
not wait very patiently. They roar and growl and grumble until their
turn comes.

[Illustration]

Lions have some very peculiar characteristics. When they have made a
bound upon their prey and have missed it, they seldom chase the
frightened animal. They are accustomed to make one spring on a deer or
an ox, and to settle the matter there and then. So, after a failure to
do this, they go to the place from which they have made the spring and
practise the jump over and over until they feel that they can make it
the next time they have a chance.

This is by no means a bad idea for a Lion--or a man either.

Another of their peculiarities is their fear of traps and snares.
Very often they will not spring upon an ox or a horse, simply because
it is tied to a tree. They think there is some trick when they see the
animal is fastened by a rope.

And when they come upon a man who is asleep, they will very often let
him lie undisturbed. They are not accustomed to seeing men lying about
in their haunts, and they don't know what to make of it. Sometimes
they take it in their heads to lie down there themselves. Then it
becomes disagreeable for the man when he awakes.

[Illustration]

A story of this kind is told of an African who had been hunting, and
who, being tired, had lain down to sleep. When he awoke there lay a
great Lion at a short distance from him! For a minute or two the man
remained motionless with fright, and then he put forth his hand to
take his gun, which was on the ground a few feet from him.

But when the Lion saw him move he raised his head and roared.

The man was quiet in a second.

After a while it began to be terribly hot, and the rocks on which the
poor man was lying became so heated by the sun that they burned his
feet.

But whenever he moved the old Lion raised his head and growled.

The African lay there for a very long time, and the Lion kept watch
over him. I expect that Lion had had a good meal just before he saw
this man, and he was simply saving him up until he got hungry again.
But, fortunately, after the hunter had suffered awfully from the heat
of the burning sun, and had also lain there