IT caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though quite conscious of all that was happening, and allowed no sense of horror in looking round at the beast. This peculiar state is probably produced in all animals killed by the carnivora; and if so, is a merciful provision by our benevolent Creator for lessening the pain of death.
Turning round to relieve myself of the weight, as he had one paw on the back of my head, I saw his eyes directed to Mebalwe,* who was trying to shoot him at a distance of ten or fifteen yards. His gun, a flint one,* missed fire in both barrels; the lion immediately left me, and, attacking Mebalwe, bit his thigh. Another man, whose life I had saved before, after he had been tossed by a buffalo, attempted to spear the lion while he was biting Mebalwe. He left Mebalwe and caught this man by the shoulder, but at that moment the bullets he had received took effect, and he fell down dead.
abridged
* Mebalwe Molehabangwe (?1810-?1882) was a local schoolteacher and a Christian preacher, baptised in 1838, and trained to both callings by Livingstone. He continued in association with Livingstone and the London Missionary Society ever after, establishing missions and presiding over church services.
* That is, a muzzle-loading rifle with a flint lock mechanism. When the trigger is pulled, a flint strikes against a steel ‘frizzen’ causing a shower of sparks to ignite gunpowder and discharge a bullet. Misfires were common; a little rainwater could render them useless, and wear-and-tear meant that the sparks generated by the friction diminished over time. Livingstone implies that his own gun was of a different kind, perhaps a percussion lock rifle, a recent innovation.