Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1866-06-16
A LION FIGHT.
FROM sALATHIEL.

Dismounting, for the side of the hill was
almost perpendicular, led my painting Arab
through beds of myrtle, an ever lovely
and sweet smelling bloom, to the edge of an
alley that seemed to shut out every distur-
bance of man.
A circle of low hills, covered to the crown
with thick foliage, surrounded deep space
of velvet turf, kept as green as the emerald,
by the flow of rivulets and 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
profuslon of almond, orange and other trees,
that in every stage of production, from the
bud to the fruit, covered the little knobs
below, formed broad belt around the lake.
Parched as was by the intolerable heat,
this secluded haunt of the spirit OF freshness
looked doully lovely. My eyes, half blind
ed by the glare of the sands, and even my
mind exhausted by the perplexities of the
day, found delicious relaxation in the YER
dure and dewy breath of the silent valley.
My Arab, with the quick sense of animals
accustomed to the travel of the wilderness,
showed her delight by playful boundings,
the prouder arching of her neck and the
brighter glancing of her eye.
Here" thought /, as ] led her slowly to-
wards the deep descent, "would be the very
spot for the innocence that had not tried
the world, or the philosophy that had tired
it, and found all vanity. Who could dream
that, within the border of this distracted
land, in the very hearing, almost an the very
sight of the last mseries that man could ir-
f1ict on man, there was O retreat which the
calamities that aff1ict society might be as
little felt as if 1T were among the stars"
A violent plunge of the barb, put an
end to my speculation. She exhibited the
widest signs of terror, snorted and strove
to break from me; then fixing her glance
keenly on the thickets below, shook in every
limb. But the scene was tranquility itself
the chameleon.lay basking in the sur, and
the only sound was that of the wild doves
murmuring under the broad leaves of the
palm trees.
But my mare still resisted every effort to
lead her downwards; her ears were fiutter-
ing convulsively, her eyes were starting
from their sockets. 1 grew peevish at the
animals obstinacy, and was about to let heI
suffer for the day, when my senses were pa
ralyzed by tremendous roar. A lion stood
on the summit which l had but just quilted
He was not dozen yards above my head
and his first spring must have carried me tc
the bottom of the precipice. The barb burst
away at once. l drew the only weapon
had-a dagger-and, hopeless as escape
was, graspipg the tangled weeds to sustain
my footing, awaited the plunge But thu
lordly savage probably disdained so ignoblt
a prey, and continued on the summit, lash
ing his sides with MS tail and tearing up thu
ground. He at length stopped suddenly
listened, as to some approaching foot, anC
| hot Will all m
and was in the thicket below at single
hound.
The whole thicket was instantly alive
| the shade which had fixed on as the abode
| of unearthly tranquility, was an old haunt o
lions, and the mighty herd were now aroused
from their noon day slumbers. 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 tore, and plunged, and yelled
darted through the lake, burst through the
thicket, rushed up the hills, or stood bayinG
and roaring defiance against the invader
The numbers were immense, for the rarenes
of shade and water had gathered them from
every quarter of the desert.
While / stood clinging to my perilou
hold, and fearful of attracting their gaze b,
the slightest movement, the source of tn
commotion appeared in the shape of Ro
man soldier issuing. spear in hand, through
a ravine at the further side OF the valley. II
was palpably unconscious of the formidabl
place into which he was entering, and tn
gallant clamor of voices through the hill
showed that he was followed by Others a
bold and as unconscious of their danger a
himself
But his career was soon closed. Hi
horses feet had scarcely touched the tur
when q lion was fixed with fangs and claw
on the creatures lions. The rider uttered
cry of horror, and, for the instant, sat helI
lessly gazing at the open jaws behind hin
| saw the lion gathering up his flanks for
, second bound, but the soldier, figure {
gigantic strength, grasping the nostrlls
the monster with one hand, and with Il
other shortening his spear, drove the stee
with one resistless thrust, into the lion
forehead. Horse, lion and rider fell, an
: continued struggling together.
|. In the next moment, mass OF cayal
7 came laundering down the ravine. TIT
! had broken off from their march throut
l the accident of rousing struggling lilo
D and followed him in the giGdy ardor OF I
chase. The sight now before them W
: enough to appal the boldcst intrepidl'
4 The valley was filed with the vast her
retreat was impossible, for the troops can
d still pouring in by the only pass; and frc
G the sudden descent of the glen, man o.
q horse were rolled head foremost among, |
n liors; neither man nor monster could
; treat. The conflict was terrible, and I
A heavy spears of the legionaries piung
n through bone and brain. The lions, ma
s more furious by wounds, sprang upon t
II powerful horses and bore them to the grour
or few at the troopers throats, and crush
q or dragged away cuirass and buckler. 1
n valley was a struggling heap OF human a
" savage battles; men, lion and charger, wrl
ing, and rolling in agonies, till their Tor
d were undistinguishable. The groans. a
g cries of the leglonaries, the screams OF
ot mangled horses, and the roars aud howiii
I'd of the lions, bleeding with the sword
re spear, tearing the dead, darting up the n
IL in terror, and rushing down again Wit
fresh thirst for gore, baffied all concepts
of fury and horror.
he But man was the conquerer at last;
pt sayaees, SCARED by the spear, and thipi
ia in their numbers, made a rush in one bs
he for the ravine, overtherw everything in II
ne way, and burst from the valley, awaken
Dr. the desert for many league with Il