The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1883-06-09
AN ALGERIAN LION STORY.

how came to be sitting. in very goof
company, one glorious Semtember even
ing, IN the little moonlighted garden O
the hotel at Algiers is neither here no
there.
MY companions about the round tabl.
which was garnished with slim bottles
glasses and piles of cigarettes. were al
Frenchmen-three old Algerian colo.
nists, the fourth an ex lieutenant of tb,
navy, who had exchanged a life on The
ocean wave for that of q hunter in three.
quarters of the globe.
Before dinner had picked up in The
salon Du Chaillu's gorilla book. which
had never seen before, and NV sayine
something about this turned the conyer.
sation in the garden upon wild beasts
and the hunting of them.
Some wonderful stories were told "a.
peclally by the ex-sailor. though not g
Dlt 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-of all the men in the world-a
nare-hunter, who capped Herewith a
of its kind.
q oAOIu Si1CuC6. CAuS60 DIV
che uncorking and tasting of new bot.
tIe OF hermitage, was broken by the eld-
est OF the party, who had not said much
oeiore. de was good-looking man of
nifty, with beard grayer than his head
and merry twinkle in his eye. What
ne said l shall repeat. for the sake of
ciearness, 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
serious interview with lion. Like most
serious things it had comic side TO it..
i was young man then, and had
been some half-dozen years in Constan-
tine farming in partnership with friend
an old colonist, whose acquaintance I
had made on board ship, coming out
f.onG Mirsailles.
Our business was corn and cattle
raising, and we did very well together
until my partner died of fever, and af.
ter that I took a dislike to the place. I
thought I would shift my ground into
this province. Algiers, push toward tue
frontier and get grant of government
land and make farm of it. So. getting
a neighbor to give an eye to things in
my absence, I started on my prospecting
expedition.
IT say I. but I should say we. for
there were three of US, sworn comrades
as ever were.
First, there was your humble ser
want; secondly, there was my horse Ma.
rengo, and better never looked through
bride. He was bred between Barb
sire and an English mare belonging to
the colonel of the Chassears, of whom
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. His temper was as good as his
courage was high; me he would follow
about like dog, but he had one failing.
and that was an iusuperable objection to
the close pgoximity OF anything. except
one thing, that stood on four legs. We
all have our peculiarities, and this was
his. Bipeds were all very we'll, but mul.
fiply the legs by two, and he let fy i'm
medIately, and never missed his aim.
'sSuch was Maren9o.
Thirdly, there was Cognac, the faith
fullest, the most honest, the oldest and
the wickedest little dog the world ever
saw. He was more like terrier than |
ANYTHING else, with short yellow coat. |
fox's head. very long ears and a very |
short tail. The shrillness of his bark I
pierced your cars like a knife. but the |
awfuloess of his howl-he always howled |
If left alone battles description. Dur.
ing the fourteen years had him. he sell. |
dom left me day or night. On journey
he would run beside me, and. when
tired, get up and sit in my wallet. The
greatest pleasure of his life was to steal
behind people and secretly bite their
egs.
'sBy some mysterious affinity, he and
Marengo were friends from the first.
They aow sleep under the same tree.
Well, we started, and after going
,ver good deal of ground, / thought I
lad decided on a location, and turned
ny face homeward. My direction was
~ Alma. to strike the great road that
uns under the Atlas eastward to Con
tantine.
1T was about o'clock one morning,
vhen had been two hours in the sad
lie, that emerged from a narrow val
ey,orravine, ,throughiwbich the road run,
IN sandy plain dotted with bushes and
\ had just laid the reins on Marengos