“An old Namaqua chief with whom I was conversing, and who had been accustomed to lions from childhood, fully corroborated these opinions, and also that there is that in the eye of man before which the lion quails.  He assured me that the lion very seldom attacks a man, if not provoked; but he will approach him within a few paces and survey him steadily.  Sometimes he attempts to get behind him, as if he could not stand his look, but was desirous of springing upon him unawares.  He said, that if a man in such a case attempted to fly, he would run the greatest danger, but that if he had presence of mind to confront the animal, it would in almost every instance after a short time retire.

“Now I have already brought forward the instance of Muller and the lion, as a proof of the effect of a man’s eye upon the lion.  I will now give another, still more convincing, as the contact was still closer, and the lion had even tasted blood.

“A boor of the name of Gyt was out with one of his neighbors hunting.  Coming to a fountain, surrounded as usual with tall reeds and rushes, Gyt gave his gun to his comrade, and alighted to see if there was any water remaining in it; but as he approached the fountain, an enormous lion started up close at his side, and seized him by the left arm.  Gyt, although thus taken by surprise, stood motionless and without struggling, for he was aware that the least attempt to escape would occasion his immediate destruction.  The animal also remained motionless, holding Gyt fast by the arm with his fangs, but without biting it severely, at the same time shutting his eyes, as if he could not withstand the eyes of his victim fixed upon him.”

“What a terrible position!”

“Yes; but I may here observe that the lion was induced to seize the man in consequence of their coming so completely in contact, and, as it were, for self-defense.  Had they been further apart, the lion would, as usually is the case, have walked away; and, moreover, the eye of the man being so close to him had, at the same time, more power over the lion, so as to induce him to shut his own.  But to continue—­

“As they stood in this position, Gyt recovered his presence of mind, and beckoned to his comrade to advance with his gun and shoot the lion through the head.  This might easily have been done, as the animal continued still with his eyes closed, and Gyt’s body concealed any object approaching.  But his comrade was a cowardly scoundrel, and, instead of coming to Gyt’s assistance, he cautiously crawled up a rock to secure himself from any danger.  For a long while Gyt continued earnestly to entreat his comrade by signs to come to his assistance—­the lion continuing all this while perfectly quiet—­but in vain.”

“How my blood boils at the conduct of this scoundrel,” said the Major; “admitting his first impulse to have been fear, yet to allow his comrade to remain in that position so long a while covers him with infamy.”