The Arkansaw traveler., 1883-06-09
a LION STORY.
hsAanse.

How came to be sitting. in very good company. one glorious September even ing. in the l.;:le moon-lghted garden of the ho.el at Algiers Is neither here nor there.
 My companions abou, the round table, which was garnlshed by slim bottles. glasses. and piles of cigarettes. were all Frenchmen three. old Aiser,an eolonis,s the fourth. an eN-lieutenani of the navy. who had exchanged ] life on the ocean wave for that of han:er in three-quaE- te.s of the globe.
 Before dinner had picked up in the saloon DuChalllus gorilla book. which had never seen before. and my saying something about this turned the conyer- sa,ion IT the garden upon wild beasts and .he hunting of them.
 Some wonderful stories were told. es- pecially by the ex-sailef. though not D.; more wonderful than many one hears from old indian sportsnen.
 For the matter of that. the most ex,Ia ordinary sporting s:ory eeer heard was told by Of all mcn ID ,he world hare hunter who capped ;hcrew;h q snake and-clephan, uairative. quite unique oi i;s kind.
 Presently. a she,; silence. caused by the uncorking and tas.ius ci a sew botiec os Hermitage. was broken by the eldest of the party. who had no; said much before. He was a good-iook;ns man of fifty. with beard grayeE than his head. and a merry twinkle iu his eve Nha; he said | shall repeat. for .he sake of c.carness n the first person. Us: as he .old the story him. self
 The adyentare of wh:ch an going ;o tell yoa. gentlemen, happened ,o me a good many years ago. l. was my rlrs, serious interview with q lion. Like most serious things, |, had | comic side. too.
 a was a young man then, and had been some half-dozen years in Cons,an- tine farming in partnership with a fnend. as an old eolonis:. whose acquaintance had made on board ship coming out from Marselles.
 Our business was corn and cattle raising. and NC did very we'll together, until my partner died of fever. and after that l took a dislike n the place. l thought would shif, my ground into this province. Algiers. push toward the from tier, and SC, grant of government land and make q farm of IL. So. getting a neighbor to give an eye to things in my absence, started on my prospecting eN- petition.
 .i say l. hu, should say we. for there were three of Us. sworr comrades as ever were.
 First, there was your humble servant i. secondly, there was my horse Marengo. and a better never looked through a ondie. He was bred between a Barb sire and an English mare belonging to the colonel of chaSseurs of whom l bought, him IT io~n. when his regiment was1eoing home. He stood about fifteen hands two. earned the Barb head. and the rest of his body was all bone and muscle. His temper was good as his courage was high: me he would follow abou, like a dog, but he had one failing, and ,ha, was an lnsuPerable objection 10 the close proximity of anything, except one thin 2. that stood on four legs. We all have our pecuhantles, and this was his. Blpeds were al! very well. but multiply the legs by two. and he le, ay immediately, and never missed h;s aim.
 Such was Aarengo.
 Thirdly. there was Cognac. the faith fullest the most honest. the oddcs.. and the wickedes, li;,le dog the world ever saw. He was more ike terrier than anything else. wI;A shor; yellow coat. foxs head. very .on, ears, and a very short tail. The shr.Aness of his bark pierced yoR: ears ..S= .l Snife. but ,he aw- ieiness of hls how. and he always Rewled T Jeff alone -5sai-s description. Darlns ;he fourteen ycars l had him. he seldom lei, me day or night On a journey he woeii run beside me, and when nrec ge. cp and si, on my wallet. The sFez: pleasure of his life was 10 steal behiu@ people and secretly bic their legs
 B. some mysterious affinity. he and Aarengo were friends from the first. They now sieep c.der the same tree.
 Well, we started ard after going over . good deal c: ground, 1 thought 1 had decided or . .7ca.ion, and turned my face horaewaEd. Ny direction vas by Alma, to s;r.ke the grea, road sha. runs under the Atlas eastward into Conssan- tine
 -it was abo1, 5 o'clock one morning, when l had beer some two hours in ee saddle, iha. emerged from a narrow Wiley, or Eayise. thrc-gh which the road