The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-06-21
AN ALGERIAN LION STORY,

How came to be sitting, in very good
company, one glorious Semtember even.
ing, in the little moonlighted garden of
the hotel at Algiers is neither here nor
there.
Ny companions about the round table
which was garnished with slim bottles,
glasses and piles of cigarettes, were all
Frenchmen-three old Algerian colo
pjsts, the fourth an ex-lieutenant of the
Navy, who had exchanged life on the
ocean wave for that of hunter i'll three
quarters of the globe.
Before dinner l had picked up in the
salon Du Chaillu's gorilla book, which l
had never seen before, and my saying
something about this turned the CONVEX
sation in the garden upon wild beasts
and the hunting of them.
Some wonderful stories were told, es-
pecially by the ex-sailor. though not
bit more wonderful than many one hears
from old Indian sportsmen.
For the matter of that the most extra
ordinary sporting story ever heard was
told by-oi all the men in the world-a
hare-hunter, who capped Herewith
snake.and -elephnt narrative, q ute unique
of its kind.
Presently. a short silence, caused by
the uncorking and tastiag of new bot.
tie of Hermitage, was broken by the cid.
est OF the party, who had not said much
before. He was good-looking man of
fifty, with beard grayer than his head,
ana . merry twinkle in his eye. What
he said shall repeat. for the sake of
clearness, IN the first person, Just as he
told the story himself.
"The adventure of which / am going
to tell you, gentlemen, happened to me
good many years ago. It was my first
senaous interview with lion. Like most
serious things it had comic side TO it.
II was young man then, and had
been some half-doZen years in Constan
tine farming in partnership with friend,
an old colonist, whose acquaintance
had made on board ship, coming ont
from Msrsailles.
"Our business was corn and cattle
raising, and We did very we'll together
until my partner died of fever, and af
ter that took dislike to the place. I
thought / would shift my ground into
this province, Algiers, push toward the
frontier and get grant Of government
land and make . farm of it. So, getting
. neighbor TO give an eye to things in
my absence, I started on my prospecting
expedition.
II say I. but I should say we. for
there were three of us, sworn comrades
% ever we're.
First, there was your humble SER
want; 81 condly. there was my horss Ma.
rengo. and u better never looked through
. bride. He was bred between Barb
sire aud an English mare belonging to
the colonel Of the Chasseurs, OF whom I
bought him in town, when his regiment
WAS going home. He stood about fifteen
hands two, carried the Barb head, and
the rest Of his body was all bone and
muscle. dis temper was - good ~ his
courage was high; me he would follow
about like n dog, but he had one failing,
and that was an insupcrable objection TO
the close p oximity OF anything. except
eye thing. thht stood on four legs. We
all have our peculiarities, and this was
bis Bipeds we're al very we'll. but mul.
tiply the legs by two. and he let fly i'm
mediately, and never missed his aim.
'Such vas Msrepgo.
"Thir,lly. there vas CoRnao. the faith.
fullest, the most honest. the oldest and