The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1876-10-27
THE LIONS EiIBRICE.

Monsieur Chassaing, the celebrated
French lion hunter, while in 4 lgeIia, got
two shots at a lion, which bounded away
into the cover of evergreen oak or ilexes,
groaning ut the same time as if much hurt
The next morning the Arabs were hidden
to bring their horses from the ehcampment.
while they set off to follow the tracks of
the wounded beast. The Arabs assisted
in the search, keeping however at Ie-
spectacle distance, amid tufts of broom
aud diss, or tall grass. But we must let
our hunter relate his experience of a lions
embrace in his own words, such expert
ences are not of every day occurrence
Suddenly powerful roar came forth
from the midst of one of these tufts. and |
saw the lion rise up, and with the first
bound he came within six yards where l
stood. Flurried by the imminence of the
danger, L fired without taking aim and
had barely time to press my finger on the
trigger before the enormous mass fell uDon
me crushing me down. l was overthrown
my head downward, the lion was over me,
aid had my right arm between his Jaws.
Obeying the instinct OF preservation, | en-
deavored 10 obtain possession of my pistols,
with the left, but they had fallen out of
the waistband when | was struck down.
was thus left helpless against my terrible
adversary without any other means of de-
tense than my arms, one of which was
paralyzed in the animals mouth.
The lion, however, let go my arm and
sought to catch me by the head the
spring which he took from behind 10 eff
feet this caused me to slip under him, but
his tooth took my lower lip i'll the move
ment, and cut il down to the chin. by a
superhuInan effort | seized the lion by the
name, over the ear, and slipping my thumb
under its lower jaw, / managed to keep it
at distance; another movement made
me slip further, SO that he could no longer
catch my head without changing his posi-
ton !; but he seized my arm a second time.
and bit ii severely. All this had taken
much less time than has been occupied in
the description. Never having lost my
senses, l then shouted out, Here cap
tain help ~ But i'll vain. | saw no one.
MY strength began to fail me i'm conse
quence of the prolonged resistance | had
opposed to my adversary, and tile pain
that his bites gave me. | was indeed,
nearly sinking, when perceived that the
hon was less vigorous, and that he ap
peared even as if about to let me go. This
inspired me with new courage, and also
gave the captain time to come to my help,
and to discharge his double barre lied rifle
into the flanls of the beast. Happily for
me the balls had no impetus, or theywould
have gone through me well as the lion
1t was aftcrward ascertained that these
balls, not being conical, only penetI al cd
an inch or two, whereas my last ball hav
ing struck it III the breast, and injured it
both in the lungs and region of the heart.
"These two new wounds hence only in
creased the fury of the beast, which, let
ting go my arm, seized me by the shoul-
der, the only part that he could lay hold
of; then rising upon his hind legs, lie
bounded toward the bottom of tho ravine
carrying me with him. This was horri-
BILE moment, and l thought l had reached
my last. As he went along, my heaG struck
against the trees, and my back chafed ON
the rocks nevertheless | shouted ont:
Captain, take my gun it has still one
barral loaded.
81 do not know if he heard me, but he
did nothing.
at was in these frightful tortures that
/ arrived at the bottom of the ravine, al
ways borne along by the lion, but also al.
ways holding 10y him with the left hand.
This resistance irritated him so much that
he made two desperate efforts to shake me
off, and felt my shoulder cracking in his
formidable jaws"
Suddenly | saw him sink down and fall
over on his left side, his headquarters press
ing on my legs the lion was expiring. 1t
was nigh time. / let 60 his name and
clutching by tuft of grass, raised my
self up by a supreme effort, stepping over
tHe plHSlfate DeaSJ, ana cIlnlbiIng up 10
the point from whence he had dragged me.
There the pain in my arm became agomiz-
ing, and trying to move it, arm and fingers
both obeyed my will. | saw with joy no
homes were broken. only the arm had been
frightfully bitten.''
This terrible struggle, which lasted only
from two to three minutes nearly cost the
lion hunter his life. He was conveyed ON
horseback to his tent and thence To- Batna,
in a vehicle sent on purpose, and accom-
panied by his wife i'll tears. The Arabs
showed neither sympathy nor consider
alton. At Ba:na he was admitted into the
hospital, where for eight days the surgeons
thought he would never get over his
wounds, but thanks to a good constitution
and exceeding care, be did so. In thirty
days he took his first walk in the yard of
the hospital and so on the thirty-sixth day
he returned home convalescent.
No CprT- II In irit Tho vOrtnU