The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-10-25

their way to look at their imprisoned
enemy. There, sure enough, was .
magnificent ioness, who lashed her
sides with her tail, and looked hungrily
at us as she bounded from side to side
of her prison. There was SO much
power in every movement of the beauti-
full, 1.-THE creature that ut first l could
not avoid shrinking back with a shud-
der.
Fancy playing mouse to that great
cat" said Hugh's voice in my ear; for he
and Guy had joined us. 1T would
pretty soon be all up with you, wouldn't
it?"
This gave one very different idea of
the power of these creatures from that
ensuing on a visit to menagerie. On
my first visit to menagerie, remenl-
Der being very much disappointed in
the lions, which were not half what /
expected but no one who has not been
ion-hunting can imagine the difference
between these poor, confined, tanned
things and this active, powerful, grace
full creature, which lashed itself into a
fury as it sprung up in vain en-
deavor to get at us or to make its es-
cape. We saw it dispatched then and
there.
n We had returned to the house, and were
at breakfast, when man came in, pale
and trembling, to say that he had been
on his way to farm not far of, when he
had come across two lions apparently
asleep in the road, scarcely quarter of
an hour before. He had come back at
once, taking the greatest care not to dis
turb their slumbers, no doubt, or he
would not have been there.
Horses were speedily saddled, and we
reached the place the man had indi-
Gated, to find that the animals had
gone, though fresh traces showed that
they had not vacated the place many
minutes. We dismounted to try and
discover which direction they had
taken, when we saw evidently the two
emerge from among some trees. They
were splendid specimens, and the chief
judged them to be about years of age.
Catching sight of us, they stood still for
few seconds, then turned and disap-
peared into thicket of trees and shrubs.
Hugh and Guy looked all excitement,
and 1 felt my heart beat fast, but not
with fear.
Our host, seeing that we were all i'm
patience to pursue, turned to me, for
he could speak little French, and we
understood each other pretty well.
1T would be madness, with SO small a
party" he said. But wait minute"
He said few words to one of the
men who had accompanied us, and who
now galloped off in the way we had
come.
We waited and waited, until Guy
Gee had almost lost his temper, for we
were obliged to be guided by our hosts
wishes under existing circumstances;
but at last we were surrounded by
hundred or more of Arab beaters, of
whom more than half were armed with
sticks and hatchets.
When l saw these men descend into
the ravine where the lions had taken
refuge, and penetrate into the thicket, /
was Mortified at their audacity-quite
unnecessarily, as L afterward found, as
they are given to taking pretty good
care of themselves.
OF course, during our preparations,
the animals had had time to get good
bit ahead, and we followed their tracks
for two hours without ever coming near
them. At last we caught sight of them
some distance before us, just as they
entered little wood where the trees
were thick and close, and it was difficult
to get along.
at would be very dangerous" said
the chief, drawing rein, "to attempt to
follow them there, for You cannot see
for the smallest way round you, and
may have ball hit you by accident, or
put one into some one else, or, while you
are occupied with one beast, the other
may be upon you before you are aware
of him."
"What would you advise, them"
asked Vulliamy.
"That we return and try elsewhere"
was the reply. IF we fail to find lion
a wild boar may do instead daff
"Botheration!" said Guy to me. st
wish we had obtained some beaters, and
come independently. 1t does seem a
cowardly trick to run away after follow
ing them so far"
1 looked back at the dark and gloomy
thicket, and could not help owning in
wardly that the Arab was right. 1t was
very Disappointing; but lions seemed
to be plentiful, and we had to console
ourselves with the hope of another.
We soon reached ravine somewhat
resembling the last, with sloping, rocky
sides along each side ran sort of nat
ural platform, and in one of these Guy
and 1 found ourselves, followed by some
fourteen or fifteen of the Arabs, armed
with guns, while opposite us were Vul-
iamy and our host, with the rest of the
men who carried firearms.
The beaters were down in the hollow
between us, and began their work. For
an hour we followed the course of the
ravine without any result, and / was be-
ginning to feel slightly fatigued, when
the report of gun from the opposite side
put us on the alert. The bushes were
too high for us to see over, and, as the
beaters had given no sign, asked some
of the Arabs whether they thought it
could be lion that had been fired at
The answer was a negative movement,
for / only knew word or two of their
language, and, none of those who
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