The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-07-16

room jumped up; whilst they were besi-
tatipg in tho dark and coming them
selves, Mohammed, changing his voice
said coolly
Don't disturb yourselves, I will 60
and see who comes there"
At the same time he opened the door,
and perceiving two borsemen who had
already dsmounted
"Be welcome" said he to them; spray
walk in, and will tako charge Of your
beastsn
The strangers accepted the invitation,
and the robber, vaulting rapidly on one
of the horses, and taking the other by
the reins, called out the proprietor of the
house
say such a one take good care
of your guests, my boy and pray tell
them that Mohammcd- ben n.oumbark has
taken charge Of their horses" SO say.
ing, he put spurs to the horse and van
ished
Things. however, did not always go on
so smoothly; and during the course of
his stormy career. my honorable friend
has suffered by fire or by steel more
than enough to damage irrctrievably the
skin of any honest man
One day ! asked him how the lions,
which he must necessarily have met in
the night more than once, had behaved
to him he replied with enthusiasm:
Tile lion is all! man IS nothing 4!
The lion is strong, the lion is courageous;
the lion alone knows how to kill. and to
inspire respect and fear . Men" he
added should be governed by lion"
Then you never had any occasion to
complain of him"
Never !" said Mohammed " on the
contrary, be has very often assisted me
in my noctural expeditions, by throwing
terror and disorder among the inhabi.
tants Of the douar which | was about to
plundcr Whilst he was killing on one
side was stealing on the other !
1t is very true that whenever l hap.
pened to meet him fasting, and he has
invited me to divide with him | never
refused him. On one occasion only ]
found him somewhat unreasonable. 1t
was on the eve of the Eladkobir. As
every proper Mussulman is expected to
kill a sheep on that day. who am not
fond Of seeing my flock diminish. had
gone aud borrowed one 10 ncighboriug
douar, and was returning home. with my
booty across my shoulders, when l met
q lion.
"'My Lord l said to him, this time,
] am exceedingly sorry fer it, but you
cannot have my sheep l must keep it
fo- tomorrow the great feast"
The lion pretending not to under.
stand, was becoming more aud more
pressing; upon which | left the path to
take refuge in cavern which knew of
close at hand, Intending to wait hero un.
I'll day break, and then to proceed on my
way.
Before entering the grotto, I looked
behind me the lion had disappeared.
But knowing my gentleman too vel to
believe that lac could be far away, at the
eLd Of an hour | thought / had better
take peep at what was going on out
side
L had reached the entrance of the
cavern with great precaution, holding on
each side with both hands, and bending
my head cautiously forward, when felt
myself violently caught at by the hood
Of my burnous, and | had Just time e.
nough to disengage my head, not to be
lifted fairly up into the air. The lion,
IN short, who had lain himself down on
the top Of the rock bad stretched out one
Of his huge paws like a cat, and seizinc
hold of my burnous, had begun to tear
ii with his teeth, giving every sign fan.
ger.
In | hurried again, and threw out
the sheep he had set his mind upon, and
on which lie darted Immediately, without
the least scruple ; more than this, he had
the extreme indelicacy to devour it nm
der my very eyes an1 when at last he
thought proper to docamp. with his stom-
ach full, and without even condeseending
to turn round to say thank you' leav-
ing on one side the reeking remains of
his supper, and on the other the bits of
my taitered burnous, the day was just
beginning to dawn.
He had not evculeft mo time enough,
the thief to 60 back to my neighbor to
take another sheep: so that, on return
ing home, had to pick out and kill one
of my own fock, as every good Mussul
man is bound to do on such a day. 1t
was the first time, since | became man
that | had been driven to such an ex.
tremity, and the lion alone could have
forced me TO DO So"