Prose 2 - The Lion and the Lamb

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Introduction- “The Lion and the Lamb” is an essay from Leonard Clark, a well-known 20th c. British poet and biographer.  The writer here beautifully describes how a lion escaped from a menagerie, how the rumours spread out and finally how the lion was captured while lying with Mr Lamb, a religious messenger.  What really happened is kept a mystery throughout the narration.

The Great Escape of Lion the Conqueror - Bostock and Wombwell is a travelling company known for its wild-beast show.  Once it came to the writer's village lying uphill.  It had a lot of wagons, horsemen and variety of animals from Africa, South America, Asia and the Poles, particularly a fierce lion, called Conqueror.  It was a snowy evening and the snowfall was heavy.  Suddenly the horses carrying the lion’s cage slipped to their knees. The cage got crashed and the Conqueror escaped into the darkness.  Being reported, the inspector, sergeant, two constables rushed with dozen natives in search of the lion.  It became midnight but the lion could not be found.

The Rumours Spreading like Fire - The rumours about the whereabouts of Lion spread out like Fire.  The milkman Godbeer told the writer’s mother that he, on his way, saw the lion’s tracks in Long's meadow. The mother’s neighbour Mrs Whittle said that Mr Cox heard from James that actually six lions escaped and ate the whole sheep, later recognized to be a baby. The town crier announced on the street that the company had declared a reward of 5 pounds for the informer. In women’s bible class, a lean lady Miss. Rolls said that the lion might starve to death in such snowy weather and being charitable Christians, they should leave some food for it.

The Mystery Surrounding Lion’s Capture - And two and a half days, at last, the lion is discovered in a jovial manner lying down before a fireplace near a Vicar named Mr Lamb who has given two legs of pork to it as dinner. He has been reading the Bible to the lion.  The existence of Lion itself remains mysterious.  The writer says that the incident happened long before his birth. So, he is not a witness. Why should the company come with a new lion during their next visit? Where was the lion during those missing days? Can anyone read the Bible to the lion? The lion’s existence, escape, and recovery all remain as interesting stories, probably mere rumours.

‘I believe there’ll come a day when the lion 

and the lamb will lie down in peace together’