The Shasta courier., 1865-11-18
The Lioa's Embrace.

Mons Chassaing, the celebrated French
lion-hunter, while in Algeria, got two shots
at lion, which bounded away into the
evergreen oak, or lexis, groaning at the
same time as if much hurt The next morn
| ing the Arabs were bidden to bring their
horses from the encampment, while they set
off to follow the traces of the wounded beast.
The Arabs assisted in the search, amid tufts
of broom and diss. or tall grass. But we
must let cur hunter relate his experiences
of q lions embrace in his own words, as
such experiences are not Of everyday oc-
currence:
Suddenly powerful roar came forth from
one of these tufts. and | saw the lion rise up.
and with the first bound he came within
six yards of where stood. Flurried by the
imminence of the danger. | fred without
taking aim, and | had hardly time to place
my finger on the trigger before the enormous
mass fell upon me, crushing me down.
| was overthrown, my head downwards,
the lion was over me, and had my right arm
between his jaws. Obeying the instinct of
preservation, | endeavored to obtain posses
sion Of my pistols with the left, but they had
fallen out Of the waistband when | was
struck down.
| was thus left bel pless against my adver-
sary without any other means of defence
than my arms. one of which was paralyzed
in tie animals mouth.
The lion, however, let go my arm and
sought to catch me by the head the spring
which he took from behind to effect this
caused me to slide under him, but his tooth
took my lower lip in the movement, and cut
it down to the chin.
By a superhuman effort seized the lion
by the name, over the ear, and slipping my
thumb under its lower jaw, | managed to
keep 1t at a distance, another movement
made me slip further, so that he could no
longer catch my head without changing his
position, but he seized my arm second time
and bit it severely.
All this bad taken much less time than
has been occupied in description.
Never having lost my senses, then shout
ed out, Here captain helpl" But in
vain. saw no one
Ny strength began to fail me in conse
quence Of the prolonged resistance | had op.
posed to my adversary, and the pains that
his bites gave me.
was indeed nearly sinking, when per-
ceived that the lion was less vigorous, and
that he appeared even as if about to let me
go. This inspired me with new courage,
and also gave the captain time to come up to
my help and to discharge his double barreled
rifle into the fanks of the animal. Happily
for me the balls had no impetus, or they
would haze gone through me as we'll as the
lion.
1t was afterwards ascertained that the
balls, not being eonical, only penetrated an
inch or two, whereas my last ball, having
struck it in the breast, had injured it both in
the lungs and regions of the heart.
These two new wounds hence only in.
creased the fury of the beast, which, letting
go my arm, seized me by the shoulder. the
only part he could lay hll Id of: then rising
upon his hind legs, he bounded towards the
bottom of the ravine, carrying me with him.
This was a horrible moment. and I
thought l had reached my last. As he
went along my head struck against the trees.
and my back chaled on the rocks ;neverthe.
less | shouted out, 6 Captain, take nv gun.
it has still one barrel loaded" I do not
know if he heard me, but he did nothing.
1t was in these frightfu tortures that I
arrived at the bottom of the rayine. alwavs
borne along by the lion, but also ALWAYS
holding by him with the left hand. This
'NS'SSi"NO iiiftdtSu ullu SO mucQ that he
made two desperate efforts to shake me off
and | felt my shoulder cracking in his for.
miduble jaws.
Suddenly | saw him sink down and fa,,
over on his left side, his hindquarters press
ing on my legs; the lion was expringl 1t
was high time. | let 90 the name. and
clutchtng by tuft of grass, raised myself
up by supreme effort, stepped over the
PROSTATE beast, and clambered nm to the
point whence he had dragged me. There
the PAIN IN my arm became agonizing. and
trying to move it, arm and fingers both
obeyed my will, l saw with 10y that no
bones were broken, only the arm had been
frightfully bitten.
Ihls terrible struggle, which lasted only
from two to three minutes, nearly cost the
iion-hunter his life. He was conveyed on
horseback to his tent. and thence to Batna,
IN vehicle sent on purpose, and accompan.
led by his wife in tears The Arabs showed
neither sympathyi nor consideration. At
Batna he was admitted into the hospital.
where tor eight days the surgeons Thought
ne would never get over his wounds but
thanks to good constitution and exceedihg
care he did so. In thirty days he took MS
first walk in the yard of the hospital. ana 50
on the tbirty-sixth day returned home con
valescent.