The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-28
slight shifting of his hind feet and lifting
of his quarters, which I knew meant

opponent by q flank movement. But
the old horse knew his game, and pivot
ing Oh his fore-legs still brought his
sterD guns to bear on the enemy.
''Soon with roar, the lion made his
spring, but Marengo lashed out both
heels together, with such excellent judg-
ment Of time and distance that, catching
him full i'll the chest. he knocked him
all Of a heap to the ground, where ne law
motionless. Then with IL neigh of
triumph and a flourish of his heels away
he galloped through the grove out on to
the plain and was safe.
"The lion lay so still that thought
he was dead or at any rate quite hors de
combat, and was just running to pick up
the bride and follow Marengo, when he
sat up on his Launches. This made me
stop;
GAS he sat there with hishead loosely
wagging from side to side, and mouth
half open, he looked quite vacant and
idiOtic.
''Suddenly his head stopped wagging,
he pricked his cars, and by the flash of
his eye and changed expression, knew
he had seen me.
"Only one thing was to be done, and
[ did it. The outermost tree was large
and low-branched. TO it ran and up
it l scrambled, and had just perched in
a fork about fifteen feet above terra.
firma, as the lion arrived at the bottom.
" Looking up at me with two red-hot
Goals for eyes, his long nervous tail lash
ing his sides, every hair Oh his body
turned to wire, and his great paws pro-
truded, he chattered at me as cat chat
ters to bird out Of reach. His jaws
snapped like steel trap, and his look
was perfectly diabolical. When he was
tired Of chattering he stood and grOwlcd.
"Catching sight Of the bridlc, he
walked to it, smellcd it, patted it, and
then came back and lay down and glared
ut me.
"My carbne-confound it!--was
slung at lny saddle. My only weapon,
besides my hanger, was pocket-pistoI,
douhle-barrelcd, and what in those days
we called 4 brecch-loader, that is, the
barrel 'unscrewcd to load, and then
screwed Oh again.
ut would have been handy weapon
against a man at close quarters, for it
threw good ball-but for lion! BE-
sides, the beast was too far off.
''Then the thought flashed into my
mind, where was Cognac?
81 supposed he had run away and hid
den somewhere. II the lion got sight of
him it would, knew, be soon all over
with the poor little fellow.
call at once there arose, close at hand,
an awful and familiar yell. 1t had a
strange, mutlled tone, but there was no
mistaking Cognac's voice.
"Again it came, resonant, long-drawn,
and sepulchral. 1t seemed to come
from inside the tree. Where the deuce
was he?
"The lion appeared utterly astonished,
and turned his ears SO far back to listen
that they were almost inside out, when
from some hole among the roots of the
tree there popped small yellow head
with long ears.
"'Down, down, Cognacn | cried in
my agony; go back, sir!
GA cry Of delight, cut short by Il
piteous whine, was his reply, as he spied
me, and then, dashing fully yard
toward the lion, he barked deliantly.
"With a low growl and ruflling name
the beast charged at the little dog.
'Back went Cognac into his cave as
quick as a rabbit, and stormcd at HIM
from inside.
'"Thrusting his great paw right down
the hole, the lion tried to claw him out.
Oh, how I trembled for Cognac!
But he kept up such ceasclcss fire
OF swapping and snarling that it was
plain he was either we'll round a corner
or that the hole was deep enough for his
safety.
Cali the same, to see the great cow
ardly beast digging away at my poor
little dog like that was more than 1 could
stand. Cooking my N'stol, I shouted, E,
and as he looked up fired at his blood
shot eye. lie shook his head, and l gave
him the other barrel.
"With q scream of rage he bounded
back.
"Cognac Immediately shot forth his
head and insulted him with jcering
barls.
but he was Ito be drawn again,
and after q bit he laydown further off
and pretended 10 60 to sleep. Cognac
barked at him till he was tired, and then
retired into his castle.
"Reloading, found had only three
bullets left, and concluded to reserve
them for q crisis.
ut was now past noon. TO bcguile
the timo | smoked Il pipe or two, sang
a song, and cut my name, Cognac $. and
Marengo's on the tree leaving Il space
for the lions, which determined should
be Wellington.
81 wished he would go away.
Having some milk in my bottle /
took a drink, and should have liked to
have given some to Cognac.
"The lion began to pant, with his rod
thorny tongue hanging foot out of his
mouth. lie was as NANCY and disrepll-
table looking brute as ever saw.
''I5y and by he got up and snuffed the
air all round him, and then, without as
much as looking at me, walked off and
went deliberately down the road.
"Slipping to the ground, caught up
Cognac, who had crept out directly, and, -,
after looking carefully round for the lion,
was smothering me with caresses. The
lion was turning toward bushy clump
in hollow about two hundred yards
off. That light green ioliage-willows,
waterl Had the cunning brute shifted
it out?
"Anyhow, it was a relief to stretch
ones legs after sitting six mortal hours
OH a branch. The lion disappeared
round the bushes. 1 strained my eyes
over the plain, but could see nothing
moving. Tlfen I gave Cognac drink
of milk and few bits Of bread-cake, for
which he was very grateful. Of course