The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1857-12-25
LEE 0F 4 LION.

Let Us sketch the story of a lions life, begin
mug with his marriage, which takes place to-
wards The end OF January. He has first to seek
his wife, but as the males are more abundant
than females, who are often cut off in inanCv
it is not rare TO fad Young lady pestered by
the addresses Of thr-r or four gaIanrs, who quar-
rrl with the acprblty Of i-aIous lovers If one
does not succeed in disabling or driving away
the others, madam, impatient and dissatisfied,
leads them into the presence of an old lion,
whom she has appreciated al distance. The
lovers fly at him with the trrmerty OF youth aud
eXasprration-,he old fellow receives them
with calm assurance, breaks the neck of The
first with his terrible Jaws. SmaSheS the leg of
the second, and tears out the eve of the third.
No sooner is the day won and The field clear,
than the lion toSseS his name in the air, as he
roarS, aud then crouches by the side The lady,
who, as reward for his courage. hicks his
wounds careSslngly. When two adult lions
are the rivals the encounter is more serious.
An Arab Perched in tree one night saw
lioness followed by tawny with foil grown
name: she lay down al the foot Of tree, the
lion stopped on his path, and SEEMED TO listen.
The Arab then heard th- distant growing Of
lion, which was instantly replied 10 BY the
lioness under the tree. This madr her husband
roar turiousIy.
The distant lion was heard approaching, and
as he came nearer th- lloness roarrd louder.
which seemed to agjtate her husband for he
marched towards her as ifto force her 10 BE- ST.
lent, and then Sprang hack to his old post. roar
mg drtianCr at his distant rival.
This coninurd about an hour, when a black
lion made his appearance on the PLAIN. The
lionpSS rose 10 90 towards him, but her husband,
guessing her intention, bounded towards his III
val. The two cronched and Sprang at each
other, rolling on the grass in the embrace Of
death Their bones cracked, their flesh was
torn, their cries o rage and agony rent The air,
and al! this time the horeSS cronched. and wag-
ged her tail slowly in sign dissatisfaction. When
the combat ended, aud both warriors were
stretched on the paIn, She rose, smelt them,
satisfied herself that they were dead, and irot-
ted off, quite regardless oflhp uncompmrniary
epithrt which the indignant Arab shouted after
her.
This, Gerard tells Us, is ar example OF the
conugaI fidelity Of my lady whereas the lion
never quits his wife, unless forced, and is quite
pattern Of conjugal affection.
Our lion, then, is married, let us say. He is
the slave ofhis wife II is she who always
takes precedence when she stops he stops. On
arriving at the douor uhe collection. OF teuts-
what we call Village, for their supper, she
lies down while he leaps into the inelosure, and
brings to her the booty. He watches her
while she eats, taking carethat no ons. disturbs
her; and mol till her appetite is satisfied does he
begin his meal. Towards the end of December
they seek an isolated ravine, and there she pre-
sents her lord with one, two and sometimes
three puppies, generally one male and one fp
male. If the Reader has ever seen or handled
puppy lion, he will understand the idolatrv of
the father and mother. She never quits them
for an instant, and he only quits them to bring
home supper. When they are three months
old their weanIng commences. The mother
accustoms them gradually to ii, by absentng