the rest of the story

[Tim McDaniel]

On Wed, 14 May 1997 Baronman at aol.com wrote:
> When somebody figues out what the purpose of that post was would
> they please tell the rest of us?  Inquiring minds want to know?

Here too.

I'm also wondering several things.

1) What were lions doing in Scotland?  Though perhaps he meant
"catamount" == "European wildcat".  However, the OED does not list any
period uses of "lion" referring to other felines (earliest citation
1630).

2) How did the child know what a lion sounded like?  Tho perhaps he
meant as above.

3) Are catamounts pack hunters?  I thought that lions were mildly
unusual for felines in that they were not solitary.  It could be a
mother and two young, but I'd be much less worried about the other two
then.

4) Would catamounts really have attacked him?  I'd certainly expect
wild animals (especially ones that are hunted) to avoid humans and
just go around.

5) Would catamounts really have attacked the village?  I'd expect them
to go after the sheep flocks, the cattle, et cetera, and kill one or
maybe two in any event.  -- Would a period storyteller or listener
expected a wild animal to attack right off?

6) Why in Creation didn't he send the boy running to the village?  The
boy would either get help to save him, or people to avenge him and get
the surviving cats, or at least get the village in a defensible state.

-- 
Daniel de Lincoln
Tim McDaniel; Reply-To: tmcd at crl.com
tmcd at tmcd.austin.tx.us is wrong tool.  Never use this.