American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-11-06

A foreign correspondent of the Boston
Advertiser sends to that journal 1.-the ex.
perience of an old African soldier who
speaks of nothing he has not himself seen
and who modestly withholds only such
episodes as would place him in con-
spicuous position. The narrator Is Is
brave as a lion and has thought no more
OF hunting this royal game than Sir
George Cummings himself" In letter
to friend the soldier SAYS:
"You wish me to initiate you into the
secrets of the true Arab lion hunt, which
YOU must begin by knowing that 1t little
resembles the fantastic tales told by GER
tain European travellers and dilated upon
by newspapers and novel-writers until
there is no possibility of separating truth
from fiction or drawing to any satisfactory
degree a conclusion regarding the lion and
panther, which are in fact our only dan
gerous African carnivorous animals
Lions are quite numerous in certain parts
of the province of Constantine, rare in
those of Algiers and Oran. Panthers, on
the contrary, are seldom seen in the last
two provinces. but are numerous in Al
giers. The habits of these two carnivora
differ essentially. As a general rule,
neither the one nor the other attacks man.
II sometimes happens, however, that a
panther, surprised while eating, springs
furiously upon the man whose imprudent
foot has troubled the silence of his repast,
and in this case there is nothing to hope,
as before the bravest man can have got
possession of his arms he is q bruised and
broken mass. The panther tears and
mutilates the body even after all life has
fled, but does not devour 1t. In general
he kills for the pleasure Of killing, and
even when attacking flock or herd he
vents his savage fury on many before de-
Gliding to eat one.
The lion, on the contrary, springs
upon his victim and at once devours 1t,
or, dragging it to preferred dining-spot,
troubling the rest of the flock until re-
newed appetite leads him to satisfy hun
ger in the same way. If, during the re-
past, he sees a man approach, and is not
ravenous, he gets up and walks away slow
ly, one may say solenanty-or sometimes,
not even deigning this, he raises his ma
jestic head, looks at the intruder, and by
a half friendly growl warns him that he
will not stand being troubled when at
dinner. A pedestrian finding himself in
this position does well to withdraw slowly,
for should he become frightened and run
the lion is quite capable of feeling de-
sire to overtake him. and in that case will !;
even in that case, if the man has presence
of mind sufficient to understand the
danger and do the only thing remaining
to be done, he may still escape safe and
sound For the lion seems oftenest actu-
ated by half playful, friendly sentiment,
man-seldom troubles him. Oftenttmes
he joins and passes the pedestrian, and
when at good distance crouches across
his path, watching him approach. If the
man has the unfortunate idea of turning
to run away he is lost; but If he comes on
quietly, neither faster nor slower than his
usual pace, looking his enemy steadily in
the face and showing no signs of fear, he
has every chance to escape. The lion will
growl, wag his tail in rather q terrifying
way, but allowing the man 10 pass before
him, get up, and, as though admitting 10
himself that he had honestly lost his
game, go quietly back to his lair.
"a lion rarely attacks women, and
once Witnessed q scene which will go
further than the longest explanation to-
ward illustrating this 1t was hot, sultry
day in July. The sirocco made the atmos-
phere dense with sand and glare; the very
earth seemed on fire. was returning
from an expedition ON the frontiers Of
with tribes in the environs Of IA CGRs,
left my troops to return to Constantine,
and, followed only by two spaAis, turned
my steps toward Ia CALI. Having started
Just before day, we arrived at about four
O'Clock in the afternoon at the ford of the
little river de Ia Aaoag. Our horses, -
we'll as We ourselves, were sadly In want
of food and drink, and we stopped to re-
fresh ourselves at little inn kept by .
European, and situated on q low mound
two or three hundred yards from the ford.
Whilst waiting for my frugal repast un-
buckled my sword, Laid by my pistols, and,
stretched out comfortably in the shade, idly
ws6<hed Q band of Arab women washing
cloeEls in the river. All at once l was
startled by cries proceeding from the
opposite side Of sand-heap bordering the
river, and BALI dozen women came rush
ing into the midst of their peaceable COM
panions, dragging them into the shallow
watnr, and behind them magnificent
lion, his tail proudly in air and his great
brown eyes looking caressingly from one
to the other. Paying no attention to their
retreat into the river, he followed them
there, rubbing himself up against them,
not seeming to mind in the least their
cries or terrified gesticulations, and when
he had had enough of it he took long
drink of the running wster, and, turning,
majestically walked away into the mount
aims from whence he had come. This
lion was a stranger in that part OF the
country, and when on the following day
xxeuf In search If him he had disar,-