He at once returned to his master, who accompanied him to the
spot, and the lion was found lying under the same bush, licking
the wound. Florian fired and missed; the lion immediately
crouched for a spring; Florian fired his remaining barrel, the
ball merely grazed the lion, who almost in the same instant
bounded forward, and struck him upon the head with a fearful blow
of the paw, at the same time it seized him by the throat.
The Tokroori hunter, instead of flying from the danger, placed
the muzzle of his rifle to the lion's ear, and blew its brains
out on the body of his master. The unfortunate Florian had been
struck dead, and great difficulty was found in extracting the
claws of the lion, which had penetrated the skull. Florian,
although a determined hunter, was an exceedingly bad shot, and
withal badly armed for encounters with dangerous game; I had
frequently prophesied some calamity from the experience I had had
in a few days' shooting in his society, and most unhappily my
gloomy prediction was fulfilled.
This was the fate of two good and sterling Germans, who had been
my companions in this wild country, where degrees of rank are
entirely forgotten, provided a man be honest and true.
Pages:
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447