The fisherman headed out onto the water early that morning, just like he always did.
He usually fished not far from the shore and knew that stretch of river by heart. The water there was normally calm, so he switched off the engine, let the boat drift gently and started sorting out his fishing gear.
After a while, something ahead of him caught his eye.
At first he took it for a big log floating downstream. A few seconds later, an animal’s head rose above the surface.
The man squinted and went completely still. It was a lion. The huge predator was far from the bank and was fighting with the very last of its strength to keep its head above water.
Most likely, the lion had decided to cross to the other side. Near the bank the current probably seemed gentle, but in the middle of the river it became far stronger.
The lion was still paddling, but it was getting slower and slower. Its head would come up, and then slip under the water again.
The fisherman understood there was almost no time left. He could have turned the boat around and simply gone home. Nobody would ever have known what happened on the river that morning. And trying to rescue a fully grown lion was pure madness.
Even if the animal made it out of the water, there was no guarantee it would not attack him a few seconds later.
He pictured that enormous beast right next to him in his tiny boat, and a cold feeling ran through him.
Then he looked at the lion again. It was barely moving now.
He knew that if he left at that moment, the guilt would follow him for years.
He started the engine and steered toward the animal. The closer he got, the scarier it became. Up close, the lion was much bigger than it had looked from a distance.
Its soaked mane was plastered to its head, its paws were slapping the water heavily, and its breathing was so weak that the fisherman could hardly see its body move.
Getting too close would have been far too dangerous.
So he grabbed a long, thick rope, tied a wide loop at one end and tried to throw it near the lion.
The first two times, the current swept the rope away. He cursed under his breath, pulled it back in and tried once more.
This time the loop landed almost right in front of the lion’s face.
Then something happened that the fisherman never expected. The lion seemed to understand what he was trying to do. It lifted one front paw and sank its huge claws into the rope.
The man began pulling at once. Within seconds he realized how wrong he had been to think it would be easy.
The soaking wet lion was incredibly heavy. The rope burned into his palms, the current kept spinning the boat around, and more than once he nearly lost his footing. He pulled with everything he had, stopping only for a moment here and there to get a better grip.
The lion hardly fought back. It looked as if it had no strength left at all. When it finally reached the side of the boat, a new problem appeared. Somehow, he had to help it climb in.
He was terrified to lean in too close, but there was no other choice now.
He tied off the rope, gripped it with both hands and slowly began hauling the lion higher. Its giant paws slid off the wet edge of the boat again and again.
At one point the boat tipped so far that the man was sure they were both going into the water. Then the lion hooked its claws over the side, made one last powerful push and rolled heavily into the boat.
The fisherman jumped back. Right in front of him lay a fully grown, dripping wet predator.
There were only a few meters between them, and his heart was pounding.
He was certain the lion was about to lunge at him. He waited for a roar, a leap, any sign of attack.
Instead, the lion slowly got to its feet, shook its heavy wet mane a few times and turned to look at him.
For a few long seconds, the two of them simply stared at each other.
Then the lion calmly turned away, walked to the far end of the boat and lay down by the side.
It rested its head on its paws and stayed perfectly still. For a long time, the fisherman did not even dare to reach for the engine.
Finally, he started the boat very gently and headed for the nearest shore. The whole way, the lion stayed completely calm. Every now and then it raised its head and looked toward the land.
When they reached shallow water, the man switched off the engine and moved as far away as he could.
The lion stood up and stayed still for a few seconds, as if gathering its strength. Then it leaped easily over the side into the water.
Only a few meters were left to the shore. The lion walked slowly out onto dry land, stopped and turned its head toward the boat for just a moment.
Then it disappeared into the trees without looking back.
