Weekly Trinity journal., 1859-04-09
A Lion Fight.

pTCClpltOuS, ltu MY painting AraD through DeQS
of myrtle, and every lovely and sweetsmelling
bloom, to the edge of valley that seemed made
| to shut out every disturbance of man.
! circle of low hills, covered to the brown with
/ foliage, surrounded a deep space of velvet turf,
kept green as the emerald by the flow of rivuets,
and the moisture Of pellucid lake in the centre,
! tinged with every color of the heavens. The
beauty of this sylvan spot was enhanced by the
! luxuriant profusion Of almond, orange, and other
trees, that, in every stage of production, from
the bud to the fruit covered the little knolls be-
low, and formed broad belt around the lake.
Parched as | was by the intoerabe heat this
secluded haunt of the spirit of freshness looked
doubly lovely. Ny eyes, half blinded by the
glare of the sands and even my mind exhausted
by perplexites OF the day, found delicious relax
alton in the verdure and dewy breath of the
silent valley My barb, with the quick sense of
animals accustomed to the travel of the wilder
ness, showed her delight by playful boundngs,
the prouder arching of her neck, and the brighter
glancng Of her bright eye.
Here" thought I, as led her slowly towards
the deep descent, "would be the very spot for
the innocence that had not tried the world, or the
philosophy that had tried it, and found all vanity.
Who could dream that within the borders of this
distracted land, in the very hearing, almost in
the very sight of the last miseries that man could
infict on man. there was retreat which the foot
| of man, perhaps, never yet deliled; and in which
the calamties that aiict society might be as little
felt as if it were among the stars !"
l A violent plunge of the barb put an end to my
speculation. She exhibited the widest signs Of
terror, snortcd aud strove to break from me; them
fixing her glance keenly on the thickets below,
shook in every limb. But the scene was tran
guilty itself: the chameleon lay basking in the
sun, and the only sound was that Of the wild
doves murmurng under the broad leaves of the
palm trees.
But my mare still resisted every effort to lead
her downwards; her ears were futterng convu-
sively, her eyes were strarng from their sockets;
| | grew peevsh at the animal S unusual obstinacy,
and was about TO let her suffer for the day, when
my senses were paralyzed by tremendous roar.
! A lion stood on the summit which | had but just
quilted. lie was not q dozen yards above my
head, and his first spring must have carried me
to the bottom of the precipicc. The barb burst
away at once drew the only weapon had-a
dagger and hopeless as escape was, grasping
the tangled weeds to sustain my footing, awaited
the plunge But the lordly savage probably dis
dained so ignobe a pray, and continued on the
summit, lashng his sides with his tail, and tearing
up the ground. He at length stopped suddenly,
listened, as to some approaching foot, and then,
with hideous yell, sprang over me, and was in
the thicket below at single bound
The whole thcket was instantly alive; the
shade which had fixed on for the abode of un-
earthly tranquility was an old haunt Of lions, and
the mighty herd were now reused from their
MONDAY sumbers. Nothing could be grander or
more terrible than the disturbed majesty Of the
forest kings. In every variety Of savage passion,
! from terror to fury, they plunged, and tore, and
yelred, darted through the lake, burst through
the tbcket rushed up the hills, or stood baying
and roaring defiance against the INVADER the
numbers were immense, for the rareness of shade
and water had gathered them from every quarter
of the desert.
While stood clinging to my pcrilous hold, and
fearful Of attracting their gaze by the slightest
movement, the source Of the commotion appeared
in the shape of a Roman soldier issuing, spear in
hand, through a ravine at the further side of the
valley. lie was palpably unconscious Of the for
midable place into which he was entering, and
the gallant clamor of voices through the hills
| showed that he was followed by others as bold
and as unconscious of their danger as himself
But his career soon closed; his horses feet had
scarcely touched the turf, when lion was fixed
with fangs and claws on the creatures loins The
rider uttered cry of horror, and, for the instant
sat helplessly gazing at the open Jaws behind
him. ! saw the lion gathering up his fanks for
a second bound but the soldier, figure of gi-
gantic strength, graspng the n0strils Of the mon
ster with one hand, and with the other shortening
his spear, drove the steel at one resstless thrust
| into the lions forehead. Horse, lion, and rider
! fell, and continued struggling together.
| In the next moment, mass of cavalry came
laundering down the raYne. They had broken
off from their march, through the accident of
rousing n struggling lion. and followed him in
the gddy ardour Of the chase. The sight now
before them was enough to appal the bodest in
trepidty. The valley was filed with the vast
herd: retreat was impossible, for the troopers
came, still pouring in by the only pass; and from
the sudden descent OF the glen, horse and man
were rolled head foremost among the lions; ne-
ther man nor monster could retreat The conflict
was horrible; and the heavy spears of the legion
! aries plunged through bone and brain. The lions,
made more furious by wounds, sprang upon the
powerful horses, and bore them to the ground, or
flew at the troopers throats and crushed or
| dragged away cuirass and buckler. The valley
was struggling heap of human and savage bat
/ tie; man, lion, and charger wrthing and rolling
in agonies, till their forms were indistnguishable
/ The grOans and cries Of the legionaries, the
screams Of the mangled horses, and the rOars and
howlings Of the lions bleeding with the sword
and SPEAR tearing the dead darting up the sides
Of the hills in terror and rushing down again
with fresh thirst of gore, ballled all conceptions
Of fury and horror.
But man was the conqueror at last; the sava
ges, scared 10y the spear, and thinned in their
numbers, made a rush in one body towards the
ravine, overthrow everything in their way, and
burst from the valley awaking the desert for ma
ny league with their roar.--SGlatbid.
THE MINER TO HIS PIPE" Jeems," cores
pondent of the Siskiyou Chronicle, tendcrly ad-
dresses bis ancient ppe
"Dear, old pipe, many happy hours hast thou
and spent together in the still hours of the
night, when the busy and bustling world was
wTapt in silent slumber, have we communed to-
gether. We laid no plans to destroy the happiness
of any one-we did injury to no one we rested
lip on lip with sincere affection, and on loves grew
stronger from association. Thou art kind mis-
tress and cause me no jealousy, thy welcome is
ever the same, do not extol thy worth and
beauty to the world, for thou art not meershaum,
nor of intrinsic value, but have ever found thee
faithful. Thou art a good comforter and wise
adviser There is something in thy brown, dim
look which admonishes me that time flies, and
that we are growing old. The recollection of
many midnight musings arc associated with thee.
The faces of dear friends, some passed away,
some estranged, and some far distant, in long ar
ray. have passed before us when we were alone.
bo, too thor # in dap nd